Unexpected Results
by Celtic Words
Summary: Hermione is working on a revolutionary project to make the Wolfsbane Potion easier to brew. She recruits the help of one Snarky Potions master; and her life becomes complicated when she gains the affections of two men. HG/SS/RL, AU, Post-DH, EWE
1. Chapter 1

**Unexpected Results**

_Author's Note: The characters and world of Harry Potter all belong to J.K. Rowling...I just play with them to make them do what I want. I am not making any money off of this and intend this for pure entertainment purposes._

Chapter 1: A Sticky Situation

Hermione was never one for admitting defeat. But when it came to binding complex transfiguration spells to the intricacies of volatile dark potions, even she had to admit her own limitations. For the last two years, she worked day and night on the production of a self-automated spell with the ability to produce a perfect Wolfsbane potion.

It seemed like a crazy idea, and wizards all over the world told her to abandon her pursuits and leave the Wolfsbane potion alone. But she was never the type to take no for an answer.

It all started a little over two years ago, right after she finished her schooling at Hogwarts. She graduated the top of her class, and was offered an apprenticeship working for one of London's premiere transfiguration masters, Mistress Lena Drake. Lena heard about Hermione's talents from Minerva at a transfiguration convention the previous year. She knew she had to offer Ms. Granger an apprenticeship, and see if she could form her into a respectable replacement. Mistress Drake was getting along in her years, and needed to find a replacement soon to take over her studies, research and a very profitable business. She had a feeling that she had finally found that person in Ms. Granger.

Hermione accepted the apprenticeship after talking to Minerva. It didn't take long for her to find a real love and passion for the work and to become completely immersed in Mistress Drake's world of transfiguration.

After three weeks of working with Mistress Drake, Hermione was unexpectedly visited by Remus Lupin. Remus was one of the few survivors of the war against Voldemort. He had lost Tonks in the battle and watched her leave this world while he held her in his arms. His pain and grief was still physically visible on him, and he moped around as he tried to figure out what to do with his life. The Weasleys took in Teddy and were raising him as one of their own in an effort to help him during this difficult time. Remus was grateful for their help.

But he came in that day to see Hermione, it was on a Tuesday, only two days before the full moon. He was in need of the Wolfsbane potion. Apparently Severus was unable to put together his usual dose, due to an injury he received during the final battle. He was still recovering from the bite Nagini gave him, and was not strong enough to effectively make potions yet.

Hermione tried to help him by finding a potions master that had a new dose of Wolfsbane potion in their stores. Unfortunately, it is such an intensive and complex potion to make, that few would even try to make it…much less do it enough to have an extra dose.

Hermione did all she could by preparing a place for him to transform in her basement, and keeping him company as they waited for nightfall. They talked for hours the night before the full moon. Remus opened up to her and told her about his days without Tonks. She reciprocated by telling him about her feelings for Ron, and the loss she felt in her life when she lost him.

Although her and Ron never made anything official, they were close and on the verge of becoming an exclusive item. Hermione was sure that she would have married him one day; and she still cried herself to sleep as she dreamed of the life she would never be able to have with him.

The night of the full moon Remus stayed locked in Hermione's basement and howled at the moon through the small window towards the ceiling. Hermione listened all night and feared for him, knowing that he would feel all of the pain and turmoil that comes with his transformation.

--

The next morning, Hermione went down to her basement to check on Remus and to tend to his wounds. She found him naked on the floor, curled into a ball in the corner. She covered him with a blanket she had brought down with her and levitated him to bring him up to the first floor.

Once there, she directed him to the bathroom and laid him gently in her long and deep soaking tub. She turned on the water and began to run warm water over him and add a few healing potions. As the water got a little higher, Remus began to come around and take notice of his surroundings.

"Hermione, you don't have to do this. I can bath myself." Remus pulled a soft washcloth from her hands and began to rub it slowly over his chest.

"Remus, I want to help. It's the least I can do. Some of the wounds look really deep."

"I'm used to doing this alone. Don't worry about the gashes. Many of them are old wounds that Moony reopens each time I transform." Remus began to reach into the warm water and pour some of it slowly over his head to wash his hair. "I think he is trying to mark me. It makes the wounds look much more serious than they really are"

Hermione moved over the other side of the bathroom and leaned her hip against the counter. "I don't understand. Why would Moony want to hurt you in that way? He is bound in the same body."

"I don't fully understand it myself. It's been happening each time I transform since the final battle. I need to do some research; but I fear that it is an outward sign of Moony's grief for the loss of his mate."

"It never occurred to me that he would mourn the loss of Tonks as well." Hermione looked down and fidgeted with the edge of the counter; suddenly becoming nervous about being in the same room with Remus as he bathed. "Well, umm, I should leave you to it. Are you sure you're okay? Is there anything you need?"

"No, I'm fine. Just direct me to where I can find a clean towel." Remus smiled in her direction as he poured more water over his body.

Hermione went to the linen closet and pulled out a large, white bath towel and placed it on the floor in front of the tub. "Call me when you are done so I can help you to the room."

--

Thirty minutes later Hermione heard the sound of glass shattering on the hard wood floors of her apartment. She ran towards her bedroom in a panic.

When she arrived, she found Remus on the ground, with the white towel wrapped around his waist. He was trying to pull himself up from the ground. She could see the pain etched on his face, and quickly ran to his side to help him up. She noticed that her snow globe of Paris was shattered all around him, and the water trickled over the wood, while some of it was absorbed by his towel.

"What did I tell you about calling for me when you were done with the bath?" Hermione pulled him up with one arm wrapped around his torso. She guided him to the bed and practically pushed him down on it.

"Ummpff!" Remus closed his eyes in an attempt to internalize his pain. "I thought I was strong enough to make it to the bedroom. I guess those healing potions make you feel better than you really are." He smiled towards Hermione and motioned for her to come sit beside him on the bed. "I'm sorry about your snow globe. I grabbed the dresser as I was falling to the ground, and it became a casualty of my stubbornness."

Hermione smiled back at him and sat on the edge of the bed facing him. "It's okay Remus. I got it when I was vacationing in Paris with my parents over the Chrismas holiday of my third year at Hogwarts." Hermione looked over at the little Eiffel Tower laying on its side in the middle of a small puddle. She flicked her wand in a small motion and vanished the remnants of his fall.

"Now that you're alone in that house of yours, you will have to take better care of yourself. If not for your own health; for Teddy. He needs you around. Who else is going to tell him about his mother, and all of the wonderful memories you have of her?" Hermione eyes began to fill with tears as she remembered all of those that were lost in the final battle. Her heart broke for Remus, and she wanted to somehow mend the pain he felt each day.

"Mione, don't cry. You've been through just as much, if not more than I have. We all have healing to do…it will just take time."

Remus grabbed Hermione's hand and brought it to his lips. He gently kissed her palm and laid her hand over his heart. He pulled her body close to him as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her.

Hermione laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She felt so comfortable in his arms and she basked in the safety that she found there. Her hand was still between them lying over his heart. She felt the steady rhythm of his heart penetrating her body.

Remus closed his eyes and relaxed in the feeling of her body so close to his. He began to rub his hands slowly in circles on her back. Hermione moved to sit up slightly, and pulled her head up to look at him. It was then that they locked eyes.

Hermione could feel Remus's heart begin to speed up in recognition of the sudden arousal they felt.

It was then that Hermione let out a small gasp at the realization of what was happening between them. Remus pulled her to him and gently kissed her lips.

It didn't take long for Hermione to respond, as she ran her hands down the side of Remus's bare torso and lay down on the bed next to him. Hermione moaned when Remus moved his mouth down to her neck and nipped lightly at her.

"Is this okay?" Remus choked out the question as he continued his exploration down to her collarbone.

"Yes, please." It was then that Hermione realized that she was using him for comfort. She had to bite her lip from moaning Ron's name. She shut her eyes tightly against her warring emotions and gave herself over the feeling of his hands and mouth on her body.

Hermione reached down his stomach and ran her hand along the top of the towel that wrapped snuggly around his waist. Remus groaned at the contact and murmured, "Dora" softly.

He rolled himself on top of Hermione and began to quickly strip her of her clothes. They both knew at that moment that they were not thinking about each other, but about the loved ones they longed to hold again.

They spent that morning learning about each other's body. It was sweet, slow, tender and healing. The first time Remus brought Hermione to orgasm she burst out in tears and clutched his body close to hers. Remus simply held her tightly as tears slowly streaked down his face. He knew they weren't in love, and that they would probably never do this again. But at that moment, he knew they were supposed to be with each other.

--

Later that day, Remus and Hermione took showers and got dressed to go and make a late lunch. They were both starving.

At first they were both quiet. Stealing glances at each other and looking away so the other wouldn't notice.

Finally, Hermione had enough of the awkward silences and decided to confront the whole day.

"Remus, we can't pretend that this never happened. We need to talk about it."

"I know. I just don't want to hurt you, and I don't want to lose you as a friend."

"Remus, I don't want to lose you as a friend either." Hermione looked down to her lap and played with the hem of her shirt as she thought of what she would say next.

"Hermione, let's just call it what it was…two people in a lot of pain, comforting each other during a hard time. I hope that doesn't sound harsh; and please know that I do love you Hermione. Nothing will ever change that. I just don't have the same feelings for you that I did with Tonks."

Relieved, Hermione looked up and sighed. "I could not have said it better myself. I know it's too soon to start something new…and Tonks is still very much a part of you." She smiled at Remus and reached over to his lap to grasp his hand in hers. "Thank you, Remus. I'll never forget this day with you."

Remus hugged her tightly and stayed there with her for a long time.

That day their friendship changed forever. They became closer and a permanent staple in each other's social calendar. It didn't take long before they were each other's resident back up date when they had a function to attend. Hermione got in the habit of going to dinner at his house every Wednesday night after work. Remus would attempt to make dinner and they would talk and laugh half the night.

Remus took Teddy back from the Weasleys a couple of months later and brought him back to his house. He slowly adjusted to having him back in his life and began to laugh with him and love him again; like he did before the final battle. Hermione always babysat for Teddy when Remus had things he needed to do, and during the full moon.

--

Their friendship is what sparked the inspiration for Hermione's two years of research and experimenting. Hermione had offered to make the Wolfsbane potion the next month for Remus in order to assure that he had a dose to take when the full moon came around.

As she worked diligently to complete the potion she became frustrated many times over the constant need to stir, boil, wait, remove from the heat, add an ingredient, and cast spells all throughout the entire month. It was a long and tedious potion that required constant attention.

She began to think about all that was involved to make this dark potion, and wondered if she would be able to create a sustaining spell that would see to all of the potion's needs? She thought about simply consulting with a spell maker to develop a spell that would move objects around an unattended lab and stir in the necessary items when needed.

But over time she came up with the idea of adding an element of Transfiguration to the process by including the ability for items in the lab to be transfigured into necessary potion ingredients and other elements for the potion. She thought this would allow the caster to create the Wolfsbane potion with ease and make the potion more readily available to the public. Her goal was to make it so easy to produce, that every potion master would have it on their shelves.

Two years later, and she was still working on the mixture of all these fields of magic to create this one complex and difficult answer.

On this particular day, Hermione was working on some paper work for Mistress Drake in the back office when an owl came swooping in and landed directly on her work.

"Well hello. You certainly know how to make an entrance."

The owl hooted proudly at her and lifted his leg to produce the letter it had for her.

Hermione untied the letter and saw that it was from Master Schoomaker, from Salem. She had written him to ask about something she was stuck on concerning her research. She was hoping that he would be able to direct her down the right path to allow her work to continue moving forward.

Hermione pulled a bit of the crust off her sandwich she was having for lunch and offered it to the owl still perched on her papers. He hooted loudly as he quickly took the offered treat. In a flurry of feathers and flapping wings the owl lifted himself from the desk and flew out the window. He left the papers in a mess as they flew off the desk and around the room in his aftermath.

Hermione picked up her work and found the letter from Master Schoomaker.

_Ms. Granger,_

_Although your research seems interesting and lofty, I feel that you are going into a territory of witchcraft that is best left alone. Over many centuries we have found the best way to create the Wolfsbane potion, and have perfected it to be completely effective. Messing with this science can only get you in trouble and put yourself in great danger._

_I suggest you abandon this project and find something more suitable to your talents._

_M. Schoomaker_

_Senior Professor of Potions _

_Salem University of Wizardry_

Hermione sighed as she read yet another rejection from the potion masters of the world. She had been writing several masters over the last few months to help her with a tricky section of the potion that needed tweaking. But all of them avoided her questions and refused to even get involved in the project.

"Ms. Granger, I need your help in the store." Mistress Drake called out to her from the front of the store.

"Yes Mistress Drake, I will be right there."

Hermione threw out the letter she received and marked Master Schoomaker off her list of possible potion masters to contact. She scanned her list quickly and noticed that she had no one left to contact.

She huffed in frustration as she packed up the papers she was working on and made her way through the back store room to find Mistress Drake.

She was stuck in a corner with nowhere to go with her research.

--

Later that day Hermione changed out of her work robes and put on a muggle pair of jeans and a v-neck pullover. It was Wednesday night and she was headed over to Remus's house to have dinner with him and Teddy.

She flooed over his to house and ended up in the living room alone. She immediately smelled the tell-tale sign of Remus trying to cook again. She smiled to herself, knowing that she would be stomaching yet another inedible stew that was the product of his venture into learning how to cook.

"Hey you, come back here!"

Hermione heard Remus's voice from the kitchen as she saw Teddy running through the swinging door with a stew spoon in his hand. He was giggling in delight at his own cunning as he sang out, "No, No, No…you'll have to catch me."

Teddy ran right past Hermione and looked back to see what it was that he passed.

"Aunt Mione!" He turned and ran to her full force as she bent over to lift him up into a tight hug.

"Teddy! Are you being a bad boy?" Hermione smiled at him as she motioned to the spoon still clutched in his hand.

Teddy leaned into Hermione's face and cupped his hands around her ears as he whispered, "I took the spoon. Now we don't have to eat the dinner Daddy made." He pulled away and smiled at his own clever little plan.

"I heard that." Remus came into the living room dressed in his usual worn out robes and a white kitchen towel draped over his shoulder. "You think one missing spoon will keep me from serving dinner? You have a lot to learn about pulling resources from a mission, son. I see I'll have to teach you to think more like your Mother."

Remus smiled brightly at his two favorite people in the world. "How was your day Hermione?"

"Oh, you know, another long day of paperwork, spell casting, and yet another rejection from a potions master." Hermione put Teddy down on the ground and straightened her pullover as she walked over the couch to sit down. "I'm at the end of my list. I don't know what I'm going to do. I know I'm close to completing this project. But the way it stands now, it will explode in my face. I need help to find out if I can replace the Moonstone with something less volatile, and manage to still get the same result as the original Wolfsbane."

"Why don't you call Severus?" Remus knew that she always shied away from contacting Severus, and never put him on her list. He was never able to understand her full reasoning for staying away from him.

He was the newest Headmaster of Hogwarts and had been an integral part of restoring Hogwarts to its former glory; before the ruination that was left from the battle with Voldemort.

"Remus, why do you always have to bring him up? I just don't want to work with him. I had enough of his torture in school. The last thing I want to do is subject myself to his unusual form of cruelty as an adult."

Remus picked up Teddy and situated him on his lap.

"Hermione, I know you are hesitant to ask for his help. But he is right here, and he's the best potions master for the job. He is still making my Wolfsbane each month. If anything, he would benefit the most from your spell. It would free up a lot of his time."

"I know, I know. Believe me I know all of that. It's just…difficult"

"Well, make it un-difficult." Remus smiled at her like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"You know, Remus, it's not cute when you say things like that."

"Oh, but you love me anyway."

Hermione laughed at his sarcastic look. But, when it came down to it, Hermione was hesitant for more reasons than she was letting on.

During her seventh year at Hogwarts she began to see Professor Snape in a new light. After finding out his true alliances and the extent to which he was willing to sacrifice himself, she found herself thinking about him all the time.

After the final battle she visited him at St. Mungo's a couple of times to see how he was recovering. He was never conscious enough to talk to, and she would just sit there and watch him. On her third visit, she realized that she was falling for him. She desperately tried to convince herself that she was simply playing out a hero fantasy and falling for the romantic lead that saved the day with a sacrifice of his very life to protect the child of the woman he loved. It sounded all so fairy tale-like that she quickly dismissed it and never went back to see him.

But after that day, she found herself dreaming about him and picturing herself in scenarios of working along side him in his lab, with his body pressed close behind her as he inspected her work.

It was silly, and too much like a school girl crush. She was avoiding him for this very reason.

Working with him would be hard to do. When you are working together in a lab, the work becomes part of an intimate relationship. Lines get blurred and formalities get dropped. It would be too hard to keep her fantasies out of it all.

Hermione was brought out of her thoughts as Remus jumped up from his chair and ran to the kitchen.

"Oh no! That doesn't smell good."

Hermione looked up to see steam billowing out of the swinging door to the kitchen as she heard Remus moving pots around.

"What happened?"

"I'm hopeless. I managed burn the stew. Tell me Hermione, how does someone actually manage to burn stew?" Remus ran a spoon through the thick goop in his pot one last time and grimaced at the results of his work. "Maybe this is a sign that I need to just give up cooking and learn the art of ordering out."

Hermione smiled at him as he poured the stew-like substance down the drain in his sink.

Teddy came into the kitchen and gasped in surprise. He then looked down to the ground and started to slink away into the corner of the kitchen.

Hermione looked down at the boy and scrunched her face in confusion. "What's wrong Teddy?"

"I can't tell you." He was whispering to the ground as he avoided eye contact with both of them.

Hermione got on her knees in front of Teddy and gently turned his face towards her own.

"Teddy, you can tell Aunt Mione anything. Remember, I will always love you…no matter what happens."

Teddy looked up at his father and then turned towards Hermione to tell her quietly, "I wished for the dinner Daddy made to burn. I think I made it happen. Do you think I'm getting my powers?" He asked her with wide eyes.

Hermione beamed at him. "Maybe you are Teddy. You're a little young; but if you did do it, you did us both a favor." She winked at him with her backed turned towards Remus.

"Everyone is against me and my cooking." He huffed as he turned towards the counter and turned off the stove. "How do you feel about Chinese food?"

"That sounds great!" Hermione lifted Teddy off the ground and situated him on her right hip.

At three years old, Teddy was still a little small for his age, but he was smart and already showing signs of being able to perform simple spells. She knew that he would be a powerful wizard when he got older.

"Can you watch Teddy for a few minutes? I'll go get us some Chinese food in town."

"That sounds like a plan."

Remus grabbed his cloak and headed out the door to apparate to a little place he knew of that had great Chinese food.

--

Later that evening, Hermione and Remus were sitting in front of the fireplace slumped on the couch next to each other. Teddy had already been put to bed for the evening. The two of them leaned against each other, as Hermione sipped on a glass of red wine.

They always loved this time they had together. They would talk about each other's life and everything that was going on in the world. It was always so soothing. Many times they would laugh so hard that Hermione would end up on the ground crying in laughter. And on a few occasions they woke up Teddy with their antics.

This evening they were unusually quiet. They just relaxed with into the couch as Remus put his arm around Hermione's shoulders and laid her head up against his shoulder.

"So why don't you call Severus."

Hermione took a small sip of her wine and dazed into the glow of the liquid in the glass.

"Why is it so important to you that I call him?"

"Hermione, you are not getting out of this question that easily. You have been avoiding him for three months now, when you know he would be able to help. I don't buy that you simply don't want to deal with his abrupt behavior."

"Abrupt?! The man is down right mean." Hermione turned her face away from Remus and stared at the opposite wall. "Besides, why do you keep pushing me to do this? You know I don't want to."

"Hermione, I know you…there's something there that you aren't telling me. I think you like him…and respect him. And you don't know how to separate those feelings."

Hermione turned her face back into his shoulder and grabbed his hand that rested between their bodies. She looked down and watched her own movements as she slowly rubbed her thumb on top of his hand.

"Remus, it's not fair that you can read me so well. I don't think I like it."

"Hermione just go to him. Who knows, this could be a good thing for you. Severus needs someone like you in his life to make him a bit more social. And he would be a fool not to see all that the two of you have in common."

"Other than Ron, no one has ever wanted me, Remus. What makes you think that Severus would even be interested?"

"I wanted you Hermione, and…and sometimes I still do."

Hermione released herself from his arms and sat forward on the couch so she could put her glass on the table in front of them. She turned around to face him and look in his eyes.

"Remus, you never said anything like that before. Are you telling me that…"

"No, Hermione. I know I messed it up with you a long time ago. And that's okay. I gained a best friend in the midst of it all." Remus ran his fingers through his hair as he thought about how much he should tell her. "There are times I wonder about what would have happened if we had waited. If we had given it a real try.

"There's such familiarity with you. I mean, I love everything there is about you. And sometimes…you end up in my dreams." Remus blushed with his confession and watched intently to see how she would react.

Hermione perked up at his words and inched closer to him.

"Dreams? Tell me about these dreams." Hermione smiled as she goaded him to reveal more.

"That's not fair Hermione. They're private."

"Oh, come on Remus. I know everything there is to know about you. Besides it is me in those dreams. I should know what I'm doing. I have a reputation to uphold."

Remus focused on the fire behind her and thought about the territory they were getting into…but decided to keep going. She was his best friend, and he never wanted to keep anything from her.

"Let's just say that I've played out scenarios of what it would be like to be in a relationship with you." He refocused his attention and looked in her eyes. "You can't tell me you've never wondered what it would be like?"

Hermione shyly smiled as she blushed at her own thoughts.

"Hermione, there are times I can't concentrate when you're around. The time we were together, we were both trying to replace each other with our former lovers. It was…tender, and we both needed to feel that way. But I think about how it would feel to be with you in another way. Have you ever thought about that?"

"Of course I have Remus. I remember one time I had a dream about you in the kitchen. It was so distracting, that I couldn't talk to you in the kitchen for a week." Hermione laughed at her own confession.

"Tell me about it." Remus implored her with his gaze and she had no choice but to succumb to his wishes.

"I remember that I came into the kitchen for our usual Wednesday night dinner. Teddy was with the Weasleys and we were alone. You were cooking over the stove something that smelled foul." Hermione smiled as she remembered the dream. "I walked up behind you and wrapped my arms around your waist. I leaned into your body and said, 'Hello, my love!'

I remember, you turned around in my arms quickly and pushed me forcefully against the opposite counter. I heard a low growl come from deep within you, as you pushed me up onto the counter.

You took me hard. It was fast. It was furious. It was consuming. I just remember yelling out for you to keep going…deeper, harder."

Hermione flushed at her own story and took a deep breath to calm her body down. She looked up to nervously meet Remus's gaze. His eyes were intense and black as he stared directly at her. It unnerved her and she knew they were getting into dangerous territory.

"That probably was not a good idea for me to tell you all of that."

"No. It's okay. I have had a similar dream about you."

Hermione sat silently looking at Remus. She noticed the rise and fall of his chest as his breathing increased slightly.

"I think we need to stop this conversation. This could really cause a lot of confusion in our relationship."

Remus shook himself and regained his control as he smiled at her. "You're right. Besides, you have to go see Severus in the morning."

"I never agreed to go see him."

"Yes, but you will. I know you too well Hermione. He is your answer; and you always seek out the answer."

"We'll see." Hermione stood up and stretched her arms up over her head as she yawned. "I guess I should get going, it's getting pretty late."

Remus stood up next to her and started to guide her to the fireplace. "Do you want me to see you home?"

"No, that's okay. I think I can manage flooing to my own apartment."

"Well, Good night then." Remus pulled her in for a tight hug and kissed her lightly on her lips.

Hermione froze in his arms and kept her eyes closed as she felt a tingle run through her body from being so close to him. She could feel his breath mingle on her lips as he stayed within her arms.

A moment later Hermione removed her arms and stepped back from him.

"Well, umm, I …I'll be going, umm." Hermione bumbled as she fought to keep from looking up and seeing Remus's reaction.

Remus pulled back from her at the same time and turned to face the other wall. He rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture.

"Yes, well…okay, I'll see you later, right?"

"Yes. We have dinner with the Weasleys on Sunday afternoon."

"Right." Remus turned around to face Hermione one more time. He looked up and caught her eyes. "Good night Hermione."

"Good night Remus."

And with that Hermione quickly grabbed a handful of floo powder and went back into her own apartment.

She leaned against the nearest wall in her apartment and closed her eyes as she took a few deep breaths.

"This is only going to complicate things."


	2. A Proposal for Professor Snape

**Unexpected Results**

Chapter 2: A Proposal for Professor Snape

Hermione woke up the next day bright and early. She had resigned herself to the fact that she would have to visit with Professor Snape in order to get anywhere with her work.

She decided to try and make it to Hogwarts just as breakfast was ending. She hoped to catch Professor Snape as he was returning to his office, before he started working on any major business for the day.

Hermione put on her usual work robes and pulled her hair back into a lose ponytail that hung down at the nape of her neck. She checked her appearance in the mirror one last time as she walked out the door.

"Well, this is as good as it gets." She tried to affirm herself that Severus Snape did not care about her looks and would only be interested in the merit of her work.

--

When she reached Hogwarts, Hermione found the hallway that lead to the Headmaster's office. As she trekked the familiar halls of Hogwarts, she began to realize the nerves that were making her stomach do flips. She pulled herself together and said the password to move the Gargoyle that stood proudly in front of the moving stairs.

Once she reached the top of the stairs, she put her hand out to knock.

"Enter."

Hermione recognized the deep, baritone of Professor Snape, and moved the door to enter his office.

"Professor Snape. It's good to see you again." Hermione smiled in an attempt to open up the conversation with a friendly gesture.

Severus looked up from his paperwork and appraised her appearance with an analytical gaze.

"I go by Headmaster Snape these days. And I believe the last time I saw you was when you and your _friends _left me for dead on the floor after Nagini's bite." Severus looked down to his paper and resumed his writing with a quick swipe of his quill. "In my case, I would not agree that it is good to see _you_ again."

"We thought you were dead."

"Yes, well, I guess an amateur would make that mistake. But as you can see, I am here. So apparently your assessment of the situation was flawed."

Hermione closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she calmed herself down to respond in a composed manner.

"I apologize for the actions of my friends and myself. We were in a highly volatile situation, and I guess our judgment was not completely accurate. I do not believe that any of us were fully prepared for the battle that day."

"You and your friends do have a history of running into circumstances without thinking first. It sounds like a personality defect you should look into remedying."

Hermione held her tongue and refocused her energy on the reason she had subjected herself to this banter in the first place.

"Prof…I mean, Headmaster Snape, I came here today to ask for your expert opinion on a project I have been working on for the last two years. I believe that your talents in potions would be very helpful in allowing my research to move into the experimental phase."

Severus stopped writing and placed his quill on the papers sitting in front of him. He looked up with an indifferent expression on his face as he scrutinized her.

"Tell me, Ms. Granger, what makes you think I have the time to help anyone with an outside project; let alone a former student with no appreciation for the art of potions?"

"I have great respect for the art of potions. I may not have performed to your standards in school; but that is only one of the reasons I am bringing this proposal to you today. You have a great deal of experience with this particular potion, and I believe the results of my research would benefit you significantly."

"Hmm. You have peaked my interest." Severus gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. "Take a seat. You have five minutes to explain your proposal."

Hermione flew into the seat directly in front of him and immediately began a dizzying explanation of her last two years of research. She told him about the time Remus came to her in need of her assistance to try and find a dose of Wolfsbane.

Severus gave her a small look of disapproval at her unintentional accusation that he was not doing his job when Remus was forced to go through that transformation. But he shook himself out of his defense mode and turned his attention back to her proposal.

Hermione quickly took him through all of her research, and conveniently skimmed over the numerous potion masters that rejected her inquiries for help. She told him about the Moonstone, and its constant affinity for exploding at a vital point in the brewing process.

"So, as you can see, I am in need of someone that can help me to find an alternative for the Moonstone in order to keep the potion from exploding while unattended. Normally, the brewer would be present to reverse the reaction with a calming spell while stirring in the ingredient. But, the complications that are already involved in creating the spell to sustain the potion do not allow me the ability to add an extra layer to the intricate pattern that is already in place." Hermione pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she continued on. "Am I completely off my rocker, or is this even possible?"

Severus mulled over her words for a minute as he stood up and came around to the front of his desk. He leaned back against the desk and folded his arms in front of his chest.

"I am surprised that is has escaped you that Wolfsbane cannot be made without the presence of Moonstone. It is the crucial ingredient to the entire success of the potion. All of the other ingredients are simply catalysts for the Moonstone to keep it from killing the Lycan on contact.

"In case you have not noticed, Lycanthropy reacts solely to the moon. It is the reason for the change; the biological reaction, the psychological lapse and the instincts that are brought on by the disease. Without the Moonstone we simply have a potion that is null and void."

Hermione's eyes went wide as she realized her fundamental mistake in trying to overcome her problem.

"I can't believe I've been so caught up in resolving this reaction that I completely forgot to research the basis for the ingredient in the first place."

"Again, jumping into situations you do not understand. Typical Gryffindor."

Hermione looked down into her lap and closed her eyes to compose herself and take in the sheer embarrassment that consumed her. She took one deep breath and stood as she looked up to meet Severus's gaze.

"I apologize for taking up your time. I must have been a fool to believe that I could change centuries of magical traditions." She turned to leave and began to walk towards the door of his office.

"Your idea has merit."

Hermione froze in place and didn't even turn to confirm that it was really Severus that said those words.

"The spell could still work as long as you find a way to divert the power of the Moonstone as it is being introduced to the potion."

Hermione turned around and strode over to Severus with excitement in her eyes. "Like a catalyst?"

"Yes, a catalyst. Surely there is a way to nullify the reaction the Moonstone has with the other ingredients at the time of introduction, and then find a way to remove the catalyst from the potion to bring it back to its full strength."

"Yes…yes, that could work!" Hermione sat down in the chair in front of Severus again. "I need your help."

"Ms. Granger, I do not have the time to help you."

"I can offer you thirty percent of the profits that are made with the spell once it is completed and marketed to the public."

Severus considered her proposal, "Fifty."

"Fifty?! That's hardly fair. I've worked on this spell for two years. I have put in a lot of time and effort."

"All of which would be completely for naught if it weren't for my help."

"Forty."

"Done."

--

Hermione left Hogwarts with a great sense of accomplishment. She was certain that she had finally found the answer to finishing her research and starting the experimental phase that included creating the potion with the new catalyst to make sure it worked, allowing the complex spell to create the potion unattended, and finally checking the validity of the potion once it is completed.

She was on a high and wanted to share her success with someone. She looked at her watch and noticed that it was almost time for lunch. Remembering that she had taken the whole day off from working for Mistress Drake, she decided to find Remus and take him out to lunch.

She apparated to the front of the Ministry and went inside to find the Department for the Care of Magical Creatures. Once see stepped off the elevator, she quickly stopped mid-stride as thoughts about their previous encounter came rushing through her head. _What if he doesn't want to see me? This could be very awkward._

Hermione turned around in place and contemplated going back to her apartment. But at that moment she realized that she was being ridiculous. _We've been friends a long time. If we can survive sleeping with each other during a hard time in our lives, surely we can survive a little harmless flirtation._

With renewed determination, Hermione turned back around and made her way to Remus's office.

"Knock, Knock!"

Remus looked up from his desk to see Hermione beaming in front of him.

"Well this certainly is a surprise. To what do I owe your presence here today?"

"I talked to Severus this morning, and he has agreed to help me finish my project. I want to go celebrate, so I'm here to take you out to lunch."

"He agreed to work with you? That's great!"

"Well, he agreed for a price. But despite his rude and cantankerous demeanor, he had a brilliant idea that I believe will change the whole aspect of this project." Hermione walked over to the coat rack standing in the far corner of Remus's office and pulled off his cloak. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat."

She held out his cloak for him in the fashion that a man would for his date.

"Alright." Remus got up from his chair and came out from behind his desk. "But I can put on my own cloak, thank you very much."

Hermione laughed at his false display of pride and threw his cloak over the top of his desk for him to get on his own.

"Fine, then. Get it yourself." She laughed at her own display.

"I don't know why I put up with your antics, Hermione. You can drive a man insane."

"Awww, it's because you love me."

Hermione smiled in satisfaction of her behavior and turned to leave his office and make her way down the hall towards the elevator.

Remus picked up his cloak and put it on as he watched her intently. Then he whispered only to himself, "I really do."

--

Lunch turned out to be an enjoyable and easy afternoon. They toasted the new partnership between Severus and Hermione and laughed about all of the other potion masters she had tried to coax into helping her before.

Hermione told Remus about Severus's contribution to the Moonstone dilemma. And it surprised him that he had not thought of the Moonstone's importance before.

After lunch, Hermione went to her apartment and got out her files of research. She wanted to make up a schedule to meet with Severus. He had given her his school schedule and told her what days would be best for him to help her with the research.

She looked over his schedule and noticed that he was free every Monday and Tuesday night, every Thursday afternoon, and fairly open on Saturdays and Sundays. She decided to take every opportunity to work with him on the research in order to get to the experimental phase. She knew they were so close, and she just could not wait to finally have a working hypothesis to test.

Once she made out a schedule she got out some parchment and started writing a letter to Severus to have him confirm his availability to meet her at these times.

_Headmaster Snape,_

_I would like to start off our partnership by abundantly thanking you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to help me complete this project. I believe that our combined efforts will bring about a completed spell in no time. _

_I have taken into consideration the times you are available to help with the project, and have come up with a schedule for our collaboration. Please look over this schedule and let me know if it is amenable to you._

_I would like for us to meet at my apartment to finish the research portion of this project. I have many books on the subject and have taken great effort to fill my study with any publication that can be helpful to this field. Once we are into the experimental stage, I would like to begin working in the back room of Mistress Drake's store. There is a small lab there that can be blocked off from the public and any other disturbances._

_The schedule for our meetings is as follows:_

_Monday – 7:00pm to 9:00pm_

_Tuesday – 7:00pm to 9:00pm_

_Thursday – 3:30pm to 5:00pm_

_Saturday – 8:00am to 12:00pm_

_If you have any questions or concerns with anything I have included in this letter, please let me know as soon as possible._

_Hermione Granger_

Hermione called her owl, Mita, from her perch and tied the parchment to her leg.

"Take this directly to Headmaster Severus Snape, at Hogwarts. And please wait for a reply."

Mita hooted at her in affirmation and jumped over to the windowsill to begin her flight. Mita was a present from Ron just before the final battle. His owl, Pig, had fallen in love with one of their neighbor's owls, and had three little ones of his own. Ron picked out Mita for Hermione and gave her to Hermione for her birthday.

Mita was tiny and untrained when she got her. At first, Hermione did not want to train her and take the time to care for her. But it took little time for her to fall in love with Mita and begin cuddling her day and night. Mita was smart and easy to train. It only took Hermione a couple of weeks to explain to Mita what she wanted her to do, and she took off to do it.

These days, Mita was quite a character. She would come into Hermione's room at night and hoot at her to make sure Hermione knew she was there. Hermione knew it was her own fault for raising her like a mother. Mita would then slowly make her way over to Hermione's bed and lay on her belly at the foot of the bed.

Some nights it would take hours; but slowly and surely, Mita would use the claws on her feet to push herself further up the bed, next to Hermione. Every morning Hermione would wake up to find Mita curled up next to her shoulder with her face tucked underneath Hermione's body.

Hermione knew it was a bad habit, but if this was her only vice she could live with it.

Once Mita was gone, Hermione went over to her bookshelves and began to peruse the titles of her books. She looked over the many books she had gathered together for the Wolfsbane and sustaining spells, and the few books she had on complex transfiguration spells. She got down on her knees and crawled along the ground to see the books she had stashed on the lower shelves.

Just as she was about to hit a dead end and run into the wall, she saw a book that she forgot she had, _Catalysts to Dark Potions & Diverting Power to Inanimate Objects._ It was a book she picked up when she was a sixth year at Hogwarts. She thought it would have some information in it about the magic that went into Voldemort's horcruxes. It turned out to be of little help at the time; but she had a feeling it would be very helpful this time around.

She pulled the dusty tome from its shelf and blew off the dust that had gathered over the years. She quickly flipped through the first few pages and scanned over the chapter titles.

Deciding it was a good choice to begin her research into catalysts for the Moonstone, she picked herself up off the ground and made her way over to the big comfy chair she had perched in front of the fireplace. She tucked her legs under her body and opened the book to the first chapter and flicked her hand towards the fireplace to make the fire come to life, as she prepared herself for a long study session.

--

Remus was sitting at his desk going over this month's recommendations for employment among the magical creatures registered with the Ministry. All registered magical creatures had to get approval from the Ministry in order to begin working in any industry. It was Remus's job to go over each request and the person that was making the request. He had account for all of their previous offenses and the psychological diagnosis the Ministry gave them when they were registered. Once he had all of the information he needed, he would make the final decision on whether they would be an asset to the job, or would be detrimental to any other people around them at the job.

Being a magical creature himself, he found that he was able to make sound judgment and see the situation from all angles. He wanted to make sure that all magical creatures were given a fair chance to support themselves or any family they choose to have; but he also felt responsible to make sure that other people were not harmed by some of the creatures out there that had a habit of not taking the necessary precautions needed to make sure they did not hurt others.

But this afternoon, he found himself distracted and unable to concentrate. He kept thinking about last night with Hermione and the lunch they shared just a couple of hours ago.

After their time together two years ago, they quickly moved into a comfortable friendship. At times they would joke with each other about their previous intimacy, saying things like, "Don't forget, I've seen you naked", or, "You know, fantasies are so much easier to picture when you've actually been there, done that."

It was always a joke, nothing more. They never got into an awkward moment or even doubted the other's feelings for each other.

So, it just did not make sense now that he would be unable to stop thinking about her.

Remus knew he was getting into dangerous territory. He kept playing over in his head the words she spoke last night about her dreams of him in the kitchen. Sitting at his desk, he started to daydream about the scene she supplied the night before. He felt himself begin to get hard, and knew he had to change his train of thought.

He transferred his attention back to the papers in front of him on his desk.

_Name: Aislynn_

_Registered Species: Centaur_

_Employment Requested: Magical History Museum Guard_

It was no use, Remus's mind just kept straying back to Hermione. He knew he had to figure out what it was that was stirring these feelings up inside him. He wasn't sure if he was ready to let her know about this sudden change; for fear it was merely a whim or an instinctual urge brought on by the phase in the moon.

But one thing was certain. He had to figure it out fast…or he would never be able to concentrate on his work again.

--

Severus was stalking the halls of Hogwarts in the early afternoon to check on the grounds and get the feeling of the castle's state. He quickly found out when he took over as the Headmaster for Hogwarts that the castle was very much a living and cognizant thing. He could feel the turmoil or trouble that was going on inside the walls anytime he walked the halls. It was like the castle was telling him when there were issues that needed to be addressed.

No wonder Albus always seemed to know everything.

He had just passed the Library, and was about to turn around to head back to his office, when an owl swooped in and landed on a ledge directly in front of him.

Severus scowled at the owl, as it hooted and lifted its leg to produce its message.

Severus untied the parchment and quickly read the note. When he looked up he noticed that the owl was still there watching him with interest.

"I do not have any treats on me, so you best get that out of your head."

The owl just fluffed its feathers and hooted loudly again.

"What do you want?" Severus felt like a fool having a conversation with an owl in the middle of the hall.

The owl flew up to land on his shoulder and began to hoot continually as it pecked at his head.

"Hey, get off me! You infernal bird!" Severus flung his arms up to shoo the bird away from him.

This time the owl grabbed the parchment it had just given to Severus and pulled it free from his hands. Then it immediately replaced it in Severus's hands. Satisfied with its charade, it again flew over the ledge it landed on when it first came into Hogwarts.

"Oh, you think you're so smart? Why does it not surprise me that Hermione's owl would be a little know-it-all pest?" Severus fixed his robes and turned to walk towards his office. "If you want a reply, you best keep up bird. I have no time for your games. I will write a response once I reach my office."

Mita watched the dark man quickly stride down the hallway with his robes billowing out behind him. She was surprised that her mistress would want to have anything to do with this wizard. She reluctantly opened her wings to follow him and wait for his reply.

Once they reached his office, Severus pulled out Hermione's letter and read it in greater detail.

"That will never work." He began to mutter to himself as he finished the letter. "I refuse to brew in some back store room." Severus looked up at Mita, "Your mistress is absolutely absurd at times."

Mita ruffled her feathers in defiance and turned around to face away from the dark man. She refused to look upon someone that insulted her mistress.

Severus grabbed a blank parchment and began to compose his response.

_Ms. Granger,_

_I have no objections to the schedule you proposed. Since today is Thursday, I will come to your apartment on Saturday at 8:00 a.m., to begin our collaborative research._

_I refuse to work in a back store room to brew the potion once we are at that stage. I will only brew in my private lab next to my quarters in the dungeons of Hogwarts. It is fully equipped to brew Wolfsbane and has all of the necessary protection spells in place to prevent massive harm or contamination that can be caused by unstable potions._

_S. Snape_

Severus rolled the parchment and prepared it for delivery.

"You, Bird. I have my response."

Mita looked around at Severus and quickly made her way over to his desk. She walked in front of him and lifted her leg to receive the message.

Severus tied it to her leg and instructed her to take it to Hermione Granger.

Mita turned around and lifted herself off of his desk. She took a lap around the top of his office and hooted as she turned to leave through the open window behind Severus's desk. Just as she was about to exit the office, she squawked loudly one last time and pooped on the window ledge.

"You spiteful little creature! You better watch yourself, bird! I am not adverse to hexing defenseless animals." Severus yelled after Mita as she flew out of sight.

"Merlin; Hermione better teach that owl some manners, or I will take it upon myself to do so." Severus huffed at the ludicrous situation and flicked his wand to clean off the poop from his window ledge.

--

Hermione was deep into her own world as she read through the book she found earlier about catalysts to dark potions. She was realizing that it was fairly easy to remove the power of a strong object to reduce its explosive nature, but the real problem came when you had to remove the catalyst without contaminating the original potion. It was going to take some tricky maneuvers to figure this one out.

Just as she was coming to the end of a rather lengthy section on the necessary properties that are used for a strong catalyst, Mita swooped in and landed on the arm of her chair.

"Well, you made it back in good timing. I hope he was cordial to you."

Mita hooted in an exhausted way to show her disapproval of the man. Hermione just chuckled at her and removed the response from Severus.

She read the note and blushed at his mention of his private lab. That was exactly what she was hoping to avoid by suggesting they brew in the back store room at Mistress Drake's. She was afraid of her reaction to his presence in that atmosphere. It was too close to the dreams she had of him; and she needed to be as professional as possible around him if she was ever going to get him to see her as an equal, and not some know-it-all student.

"I don't like this. How am I going to concentrate with him always hovering over me?"

Just then a loud crack of apparation came from her living room.

Hermione looked up with a question on her face. _Who would be visiting me at this time, and on a Thursday?_

"Hermione? Are you decent?"

"Remus! What are you doing here?" She jumped up from her chair and ran over to the door to see him standing in her living room. He had his hands full with a couple bags of groceries and a bottle of strawberry wine.

"Molly and Arthur came over to take Teddy to see a Quidditch match. So I thought I would give that stew one more shot. And maybe with your help, I might just get it right." Remus smiled at her and held up the bottle of strawberry wine for her to see. "I brought over your favorite wine. I figured it couldn't help to bribe you a bit and make sure you're a bit tipsy when you try the stew."

Hermione just laughed at his desperate attempt to butter her up and walked over to him to grab one of the bags.

"I thought you gave up on cooking. I was kind of enjoying your new skills of ordering out."

"I cannot let something as simple as cooking get the better of me. Besides, if Severus can brew a potion to perfection, surely I can boil a stew."

"It's not the same. Actually, potions are harder than stews." Hermione smiled tightly as she tried to hold in the laugh that was begging to come out.

"Hermione, you are asking for it."

She started to laugh at his words and quickly went into the kitchen to put her bag down and start setting the groceries out on her counter.

"What are you going to do to me?" She coaxed him on in their usual game.

"Don't test me, dear. I can be relentless."

"I find that hard to believe. Remus you can barely hold out for ten minutes when punishing Teddy."

"You are _not_ Teddy."

Hermione stopped what she was doing and turned around to face him.

"And what, exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he walked slowly over to her as he stared at her with a certain intensity, "that I can hold out for a long time when it comes to teaching you a lesson." He stopped only an inch from her body and continued to look down into her eyes.

"I'd like to see you try." Hermione tested his will power as she whispered out the small challenge.

Remus stood still for a moment as he looked over her, trying to read her intentions with her last words. Finally, deciding to take matters into his own hands, he placed one of his hands on her hip and took that last step towards her.

She couldn't look away as their bodies came into contact.

Remus began to slowly move his hand up her side as he slid his hand under her shirt. The feel of her soft skin thrilled him as the touch sent a shock through his entire body.

"Hermione, do you know what you're doing?"

Hermione lifted her hands up to rest them on his shoulders as she slowly pulled him down to her.

"Probably not."

--

A/N: I will try to keep updating this story as quickly as possible...but sometimes work gets in the way. I am always happy to accept constructive criticism. Please review and let me know what you think.


	3. Testing Temptation

**Unexpected Results**

**A/N: A slight lemon is ahead. I promise this is a Severus/Hermione fic...but Remus keeps getting in the way. He's just so loveable, and well, you have to give him what he wants.**

Chapter 3: Testing Temptation

Hermione pulled Remus down to her and softly touched her lips to his. She closed her eyes and tightened her hold on him as she pulled him in to kiss him more soundly.

Remus kept the kiss gentle and sweet. He worshipped her body with his hands as he pushed the back of her shirt up to feel the full expanse of her bare back.

Hermione moaned at his touch and licked the line of lips to beg for entrance.

That was all it took for Remus to lose control of the will power that he was so desperately trying to keep. He growled at her actions and opened his mouth to capture hers in a battle for dominance. He grasped both of her hands and pulled them behind her body. Pressing her palms flat on the counter behind her, he pressed his own palms on top of hers; trapping her between him and the counter.

He pressed himself tightly against her body and moved his mouth to her neck.

Hermione gasped at his sudden aggressiveness. She rocked her body against his, using the little bit of movement she had as she desperately tried to find some way to intensify the feeling he was igniting inside her. She felt his arousal pressing against her abdomen, and heard him hiss at the friction she was causing.

"Hermione, tell me to stop; before I can't control myself anymore." Remus gasped out his words as he struggled to think clearly in his lust induced state.

"What if I don't want you to stop?"

"Ugghhh!!" Remus pulled away from Hermione in a quick movement.

She suddenly felt cold and empty as she watched him practically run to the other side of the room.

Hermione stared at Remus, never taking her eyes off his frame. Her breathing was ragged as her chest heaved up and down, showing the proof of his affect on her.

Remus turned around to face Hermione and froze under her intense watch.

"Hermione, we need to talk."

"Remus, right now I don't feel like talking."

Remus closed his eyes to try and calm his guttural instinct to push her against that counter and take her as fiercely as she described just the night before.

"We have to talk." Remus ground out the words slowly.

Hermione looked down and to the side of the room as she tried to gather her thoughts. She didn't know what to say. The only thing that kept running through her mind is _Just take me Remus!! Do it Hard Now!!_

"Hermione, I don't want to mess up with you again. Ever since you told me about that dream you had of me, I have not been able to stop thinking about you. I can't concentrate at work, and I find myself practically standing at attention at my desk as I think about you.

"Bullocks! Hermione I want you so badly right now. You have to stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you could devour me."

"Remus, we have been friends for over two years. I don't understand why you are hesitant. If anything, I know you better than anyone else; and you know me. We're perfect for each other."

"That's just it, Hermione. We could be perfect. And it would make me deliriously happy. But there is one problem; you are in love with Severus. Don't try to deny it; I saw it in your eyes last night. You may not have realized the extent to which your little crush has progressed; but I can read you Hermione, you can't hide anything from me.

"I fear that when the two of you start working together in close quarters, it will be too difficult to stay away from what your heart truly wants. And I don't want to go through the pain of losing someone I love again. If we stay strictly friends, I can't lose you; and Teddy will never lose you."

Hermione turned away from him and faced the counter that she was just pressed against in his passion. She ran her hands over the top as she mulled over what he had just said. It just didn't make sense.

"You're wrong Remus. I have respect for Severus. I appreciate his sacrifice that he made for the Order and I am in awe of his talent for potions. But that is it. I may have held a small torch for him 'once upon a time'; but that was all foolish little girl stuff. It's over."

Hermione turned around to face Remus and looked up to see his reaction. "It's you that I want. You make me feel safe, loved, and I've never felt this kind of passion before…I want to be with you."

"Hermione, that's lust. We already know that we can induce lust in each other; but we have never admitted to having any deeper feelings than that. I do love you. You are my best friend. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we are meant to be together."

Hermione sighed in frustration and walked over to him. She stopped in front of him and reached out to push a stray hair behind his ear. She flashed him a small little smile and dropped her hand to grab a hold of his. She pulled him out of her kitchen and led him to the couch in her living room.

Remus took a seat on the couch and watched as Hermione took a seat next to him with one knew bent towards the back of the couch. She situated herself so she could face him directly to talk.

"Remus, I never told you this before, because I never saw the point in it. But when we were together that day after your transformation; it was my first time with a man. I never consummated my relationship with Ron. We came close a couple of times, but I think I was afraid of taking the chance of getting pregnant and bringing a baby into the war-torn world that we lived in. I wanted to wait until we were in a peaceful time, and there wasn't a chance of us leaving a baby behind without its parents.

"I know it's unfair that I didn't tell you. But I never thought we would ever be in this position." Hermione bit her bottom lip and looked at Remus with a question on her face. She was afraid of his reaction and nervously waited for him to say something.

"Hermione, this may sound strange, but…was your hymen intact when we were together?"

"Yes…but why would you want to know that?"

Remus sighed heavily and looked away from Hermione. "I can't believe I never thought about this." He turned back to face Hermione.

"Hermione, you may have marked me."

"I don't understand, what does that mean?"

"Because we were together so close to my transformation, it is possible that the blood from your hymen marked Moony as his mate. It's starting to all make sense now.

"Those dreams that I mentioned last night; they always happened as the full moon came close. I never put together the timing or the intensity of them. I just thought that my subconscious was playing a cruel joke on me by showing things I could never have. But it was Moony trying to get me to realize his need to be with his mate."

Hermione opened her mouth slightly in shock to his words.

"How could this happen, Remus? You've never made any advances to me before. Until these last two days, we have always been strictly friends."

"I was always able control the thoughts and dismiss the dreams. But when I heard your dream last night, it must have gotten into my system and alerted Moony to his mate's calling. It explains my inability to concentrate at work."

"Remus, you are the only man I've ever been with. This just confirms to me that we are meant to be together."

Remus stood up from the couch and walked over the fireplace. He leaned up against the mantle and took a few breathes to gather his thoughts.

"Hermione this could have happened with any virgin. It takes the blood of the consummation and marks me with her scent. This bonding doesn't mean we are meant for each other.

"You've never been with anyone else. How do you know what this is? It only proves to me that I need to back off from you and allow you the chance to see this attraction to Severus through."

"No!" Hermione got up from the couch and went over to stand in front of him. "I refuse to let you dictate to me my heart. You don't know how I feel! Nothing is going to change that."

Remus placed his hands on Hermione's shoulders and looked at her directly.

"Hermione, listen to me. I can't take the chance of fulfilling my own desires and taking you; to only be torn apart later when you choose Severus. I won't lose my lover again."

"So you would rather live denying your own happiness and Moony his mate. Living a life with regrets, instead of taking the chance to love me?"

"You're not making this easy on me Hermione."

Hermione pushed his hands off of her shoulders and took a few steps away from him. She turned away from him and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Why should I? You obviously don't care about my feelings. You're so keen on pushing me away."

Remus walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist, enfolding her within his arms.

"I'll make you a deal Hermione." He whispered his words in her ear as he held her tightly from behind. "You finish this project with Severus. Confront your crush head on; and then, if you still want me, I will gladly accept you in my life."

Hermione turned around in his arms and hugged him to her. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heart beat.

"Deal. But nothing is going to change Remus."

"We'll see about that." Remus squeezed her tightly to him for a split second and then released her from his grasp. "Now, comes the hard part. I have to get through these months of research and brewing without taking advantage of you. Promise me you'll be good, and not tease me." Remus smirked at his own comment.

"I promise nothing." Hermione smiled mischievously as she turned away from him.

"Why you little Minx!" Remus spanked her bottom swiftly as he passed her on his way to the kitchen. "Come on, help me get this stew right."

"That will take a miracle." Hermione mumbled under her breath.

"I heard that! Traitor!"

--

On Saturday morning Hermione woke up bright and early. She was excited to get started on the research for her project with Severus. She had spent most of Friday evening going over books and research papers she had in her library and already had a few ideas written out to go over with Severus.

At 8:00 a.m. sharp there was a knock on her front door. Hermione opened the door to a sour looking Severus dressed in his usual black teaching robes.

"Good morning Severus."

"That remains to be seen." Severus walked past Hermione and looked around the flat quickly to assess his surroundings. "Where will we be working?"

"My library; it's just around that corner; first door on the right." Hermione pointed in the right direction as Severus twirled around to make his way to the designated work area.

Once they were situated, Hermione began by showing Severus the books she had found that were helpful in formulating her theories.

Severus perused them with a frown on his face and threw them down on the table between them. He produced a small satchel out of his robe pocket and used his wand to return it to its usual size. Then he pulled out four very old and worn texts.

"These will be the texts that we use to begin our research. They are by Duke Von Halenstrope, the foremost expert that ever lived on Lycanthropy and the effects of the properties of Wolfsbane. He was also afflicted with Lycanthropy and never ended his search to find a way to damper the effects of the disease; that is, until his own demise in 1843."

Hermione looked at the books with a respect for their worth, and the knowledge that lies within them.

"I have come up with a few working theories on what ingredients can be used to create the initial catalyst. But I am having a problem with the removal of the catalyst. They all pull out too many magical components with them and begin to taint the original Wolfsbane."

"Let me see what you have."

Hermione opened her notebook to her current research and showed him the theories she had so carefully drawn out and explained.

Severus looked them over like he was grading an essay. You could see his right hand twitch with the instinct to swipe a quill with red ink across the page with some biting remark about the lack of originality or improper research.

"The first two are completely out of the question. Both of those ingredients are too hostile to the human body. We are not trying to kill the Lycan." He flipped the pages in her notebook as he read on. "This one can be modified slightly to work with pulling the power of the Moonstone; but I am unsure if it can ever be pulled from the potion again without harming the Wolfsbane."

"That was the problem I kept running into." Hermione walked over to where Severus was sitting and leaned over one side of his body as she read her own notes in his hands.

Severus became aware of her presence hovering over him, and snapped the notebook flat on the table in front of him.

"Ms. Granger, would kindly remove yourself from my person. I detest people that read over your shoulder."

Hermione pulled back from him and moved back to her original position across from him on the table.

They spent that morning going over the texts that Severus brought and discussing the properties that were described in the books.

Severus was surprised at how insightful Hermione was and her pen chance for integrating new concepts and ideas in potion brewing. She asked a lot of questions about the brewing process and tried to find ways to manipulate it to her own project.

They interacted with a smooth and proficient manner, and complimented each other with the grace of two professional researchers.

Once they came to a closing point, Severus packed up his texts and a few of the books that Hermione had produced on the subject.

"I believe we have made a great deal of progress with this project. We should be ready to begin brewing within a week or two."

"Do you really think we are that close." Hermione asked with the exuberance of an apprentice given their first real assignment.

"If we are able to identify the ingredient that will behave in this procedure, we will be able to begin testing the process. We have already identified how it must happen; it is simply a matter of finding that catalyst."

Severus used his wand to shrink his satchel again and put it in his robe pocket. He turned to leave the study.

"I want to thank you for your help in all of this, Headmaster. I appreciate all that you are doing for me."

Severus turned around just as he reached her front door and looked in her direction.

"Let's get this straight Ms. Granger; I am only working with you on this project for the profit that will be involved once it is completed. Not to mention the amount of time it will save me each month when making the Wolfsbane for that mutt you call a friend." Severus then began to walk slowly towards Hermione as he drawled out his next words, in a smooth and deep rumble. "Do not think that we are friends. Do not even try to engage me in idle chit chat. I am your colleague; a fellow researcher. That is all."

Hermione froze in place as he got closer to her with each word. He came right up to her front and towered over her small frame as his eyes penetrated into her.

"I can read your intentions Ms. Granger, and you best get that out of your head." Severus leaned into her frame as he whispered the last words in her left ear in a tone so low it made her whole body shiver inside.

"Good day, Ms. Granger."

And with that he went out the front door and apparated back to just outside the Hogwarts grounds.

Hermione closed her eyes and breathed evenly as she calmed herself down. _How can he do that to me? Why do I react so helplessly to his closeness? How in the world will I survive brewing with this man in his private lab?_

Hermione became frustrated with herself and her own body's betrayal. She knew she loved Remus. She was sure that she would end up with him. But here she was finding herself highly aroused by another man simply standing close to her and telling her of his own distaste for her company. Was she simply gluten for punishment? Did she have desires to be abused that she never knew about.

It all confused her way too much. She had never felt a desire to be hurt in any of her fantasies. So why did his hatred of her bring out such stimulation?

--

Sunday was just like any other day. Remus spent the day with Teddy. He took him to the park where they played a muggle game of baseball. Remus spent his time teaching Teddy how to throw and catch the ball with his little glove. It was fun to see him toddling around and using all of his strength to throw the ball a whooping five feet.

Later, Remus pulled out his broom and took Teddy for a ride around the old Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts. It was one of the few places that was not destroyed outside of Hogwarts walls during the final battle. But with all of the new construction that took place to rebuild the school; Severus made sure a new Quidditch field was one of the first items on the list. It was regulation size with all of the latest conveniences in the Quidditch arena.

Teddy laughed and snorted at all of the colors as Remus flew him by the old stands. At times he would sit up to clap at something that Remus did, and would lose his balance. Luckily, Remus had a tight grip around his waist to keep him from falling off.

It was a great afternoon. But he kept thinking about Hermione. He wondered what it would be like to do things like this with her along. To be a true family and have her be apart of all of the wonderful times he and Teddy have together.

Later that day he dressed Teddy in some nicer clothes as he got ready for dinner at the Weasley's. Arthur and Molly got in the habit of inviting him over for dinner on Sunday at least once a month. Hermione always came along, and it was always a great time to catch up on each other's life.

Once he was ready to go he gathered up a few items for Teddy and went over to his fireplace to floo Hermione.

"Hermione, you ready?"

Hermione looked over to her fireplace to see Remus's face checking in on her.

"I'll be right over…I just have to finish this last notation."

She was busy writing a few observations she made about the daffodil dragon flower. It had some interesting dynamics to its make-up and she really thought it would be useful as a catalyst; with a few minor modifications, of course.

She wrote two more lines of notes, and found a stopping place. Placing a marker in the book she was studying, she grabbed her dinner robe and flooed over to Remus's place.

"Okay, ready to go." She absentmindedly brushed soot off of her robes as she followed behind Remus to his doorstep.

"Aunt Mione!" Teddy looked over his daddy's shoulder and beamed at her. Hermione smiled back at him and waved in a kid like manner.

"I hope you have been good for your daddy today."

"We had so much fun Aunt Mione! Daddy took me flying over on the Quidditch Ditch."

"It's a Quidditch Pitch, son." Remus smiled at Teddy's mistake.

"No, Daddy, pitch is what we did with the baseball earlier today." Teddy said it in a determined way…knowing he was right.

"You are right; we did 'pitch' the ball back and forth today as well. But, where we were flying is also called a 'pitch'."

"But that's the same word…how can they both be called that?"

"They just are, son. One is a muggle sport, while the other is a magical sport."

"How do you know which one someone it talking about?" Teddy scrunched his face in confusion as he looked over at his father.

"You know by how they use the word in a sentence or conversation."

"That doesn't make sense." Teddy looked over at Hermione, "Aunt Mione is he telling the truth?"

Hermione giggled at their dynamic together and nodded a 'yes' to Teddy as she moved in to them to hug Remus to apparate to the Weasley's.

The dinner was great. The Weasley's have been getting along well, despite the heavy losses their family took in the final battle. George and Ron were both truly missed; and then of course, Percy. It was a hard blow for the family to take.

Arthur started helping out Fred with the business aspect of his joke shop. Molly learned to throw herself into helping the rest of her family find someone special in their life and start a family of their own. She wanted grandchildren to love and spoil…and she wasn't afraid to try a little manipulation to get what she wanted.

For awhile she tried to get Hermione to visit with Charlie in Romania. She thought they would be a good match, and wanted him to find someone to settle down with very soon. Hermione went a couple of times to visit him, but just as a friend. She knew that Charlie was gay and seeing a wonderful man in Romania that worked with him. He just hadn't gotten around to telling his parents yet about his sexual orientation. He was afraid that Molly would be devastated.

At the end of the evening Remus went to find Teddy asleep on the Weasley's couch. He picked him up and draped his head over his own shoulder to carry him home.

"I guess we should be going. It's getting kind of late. And this one is already out cold." Remus smiled at Arthur and Molly as he prepared to leave.

"Yes, thank you Molly and Arthur for having us again. I always love coming over to have a good home cooked meal." Hermione smiled at the Weasley's and turned to walk out the front door.

"The two of you be safe on your way home." Molly fussed over them as they left the house. "If you need anything please don't hesitate to owl us. And we will have another dinner in about four weeks."

Remus and Hermione waved as they closed the front door behind them and turned to the dark night.

"I'll apparate us to your home; since you have Teddy."

With a loud crack Hermione apparated them to Remus's front porch.

"Well, I guess I better get home myself. I have an early morning at the shop with Mistress Drake."

Remus pulled open his front door and turned to catch Hermione before she got away.

"Come on inside. Let me put Teddy to bed and we can have dessert. I have some chocolate mousse in my refrigerator."

"Oh, you really know the way to a woman's heart." Hermione feigned arousal at his suggestion and followed him in the house.

"Go ahead and get it out of the refrigerator…I'll be back in a second." Remus carried Teddy into his room and laid him down on his bed. He used his wand to change him into his PJs and tuck him snuggly under the covers. Then he got Teddy's stuffed Crookshanks, and put it under his blanket next to him so he would feel safe.

"It really does feel good to see a father take such good care of his son." Hermione whispered from behind Remus as she stood at Teddy's door watching him put his son to bed.

"I love him more than anything in this world Hermione. I only want the best for him." Remus pushed a strand of hair behind Teddy's ear and gently caressed his son's cheek. "Whatever Deity saw to it to bless me with Teddy, knew that he would be my saving grace in this time of my life."

Remus turned around to face Hermione and started to walk out the room. He got to the doorway and turned one last time to check on Teddy as he flipped the lights off and closed the door.

"Come on, let's go get some dessert."

Hermione had already pulled out the chocolate mousse and placed two small bowls of it on the coffee table in front of his couch. They both sat on the couch next to each other and picked up their bowls as they leaned back into the couch with their heads resting on the back cushion. They stared at the ceiling of the living room as they mindlessly ate their rich treat.

"So how did the research go yesterday?"

Hermione thought about his question and took one more bite of her sweet before answering.

"It went very well. Severus believes that we are only a week or two away from beginning the brewing phase."

"That's great to hear." Remus finished off his mousse and placed his bowl back on the coffee table in front of him. "Did anything else happen?"

"No, nothing happened." Hermione took her final bite and placed her bowl next to his as she turned to look at him. "I know what you are insinuating. If anything he was rude and ill-tempered as usual."

"No…distractions?" Remus smiled in a sly way as he waited for her to take the bait.

"No, Remus, I told you nothing happened!" Remus could see her start to get upset by his teasing and thought she was even more beautiful in her rampage. "We researched catalysts to dark potions and that was it. I already told you; 'I love you!' and nothing is going to change that."

"Methinks she doth protest too much." Remus smiled at his little jab.

"Ugghh! You are impossible, Remus." Hermione looked down for a second with a scowl on her face as she gathered her thoughts. When she looked up she had an expression on her face that Remus knew all too well…he was in trouble now.

"I guess you need proof of my affections for you. So I'm going to make myself very clear." Hermione got up on her knees on the couch and straddled Remus's lap. She used her hands to push his shoulders against the back of the couch and keep him from deterring her actions.

"I want…to be…with you." Hermione mouthed each word slowly as she kissed his lips gently between each phrase. After her final word she looked down to find his hands and grabbed them to trap them above his head on the wall behind the couch. She used a wandless charm to fix them to the wall and free her own hands to roam about his body.

"Hermione, you have to stop this. It will only lead to something we don't want to do."

"Remus, I never said I didn't want to do this. You made that decision for me, remember." Hermione then crashed her lips down to his and passionately plundered his mouth with her own. Remus groaned at her aggression and bucked his hips up to meet her in an unconscious motion.

"You want this Remus, I know you do. Moony needs it."

"Oh Merlin!" Remus's eyes shot open as Hermione sat firmly on his erection and began to undulate her hips in time with his.

They stared at each other intensely as they breathing became ragged and hard. With each motion the friction became more powerful and they both began to seek their own pleasure.

"Tell me you want me Remus. Tell me." Hermione gasped out her request as she continued to rock in time with him, coming closer to completion.

"Hermione, I want you so bad it hurts." Remus pushed his hips up in one strong thrust to try and find the friction that he needed.

Hermione grasped his shoulders and pulled her body tight against his own, and rest her head on the back of the couch next to his. Remus could hear her breathing as it came out in gasps next to his ear.

"Remus, yes, that's it…oh yes, I'm so close."

Remus shut his eyes tight as he felt himself come close to release. He relished in her closeness and the words that dripped from her mouth. She kept repeating his name. He couldn't believe he was here on his own couch about to come in his trousers with Hermione on top of him.

"Remus" Hermione shuddered over him as he felt her orgasm wrack her whole body. She tensed her thighs around his and ground herself on his erection as she rode out her orgasm. "Mine"

That was all it took. Remus came hard as he heard her whisper that one word of ownership. He saw flashes before his eyes as he realized how strong his connection was with her.

"Hermione." Remus breathed hard as he came down from his own release and tugged at his arms to try and wrap them around her. "Hermione, can you release my arms now?"

Hermione pushed herself up on him and looked up to see his hands still bound to the wall behind them. She smiled at her own assertiveness and muttered a counter charm to release his arms.

Remus used his freedom to wrap his arms tightly around her and pull her to the side and lay them both on the couch.

They held each other in silence as they just enjoyed the feeling of holding another person in their arms. After a few minutes, Remus pulled his free hand up to Hermione's hair and began to slowly brush his fingers through it in a loving manner.

"Hermione, we can't do this again."

Hermione lifted her head up and propped her upper body on her elbows as she looked down at Remus.

"Why, Remus? I love you. And that was amazing."

"We had a deal. I need you to see this project through with Severus. You have to fully confront your emotions when it comes to him."

"Even after that…you can still turn me away? I don't understand you, Remus." Hermione looked down at her hands as tears slowly began to form in her eyes.

"Don't cry, Hermione. You have to know that this is the hardest thing I have ever had to do." Remus wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him as he nestled her next to his body. "As you just found out, my will power is not that strong when it comes to you. That is why we have to stay away from situations like this.

"Please, Hermione. Promise me that this will never happen again, until your project is complete."

Hermione thought over his words for a minute before she resigned herself to his request.

"I promise."

"Thank you."

Remus found his back pocket next to the couch and pulled out his wand. He muttered a cleansing spell to clean their bodies and clothing of the evidence of their activities.

"Now, let me help you get home."

Hermione got up off the couch and put out her hand to help him up off the couch.

"Thank you, Remus."

Remus hugged her tight and walked her over to the fireplace. They said their usual goodbyes and Hermione flooed home to her apartment.

Remus looked around his living room and stopped when he got to his couch. He thought about their encounter and remembered the strong response he had to her when he came.

"I've never had that strong of a reaction before. Not even with Tonks." Remus mused to himself. "This must be the result of the mark she put on Moony. I don't know how I am going to make it a few more months…and I don't know if I can watch Severus take what is mine."

--

A/N: Please review and let me know what you think. I love getting reviews...they fuel my writing, and my muse!


	4. Boiling Up Desire

**Unexpected Results**

A/N: We finally see a little angst in this chapter between Severus and Hermione. But Remus asserts himself in her life. This story has gone a whole different direction than I intended it to...but characters have a way of poping up in ways you never expected. This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I wanted to get it up.

Chapter 4: Boiling Up Desire

Hermione gathered the volumes of research she had accumulated over the last couple of weeks and packed it all into a sturdy satchel. She slung it over her shoulder and prepared herself to make her way to Hogwarts. She looked around her study one last time to make sure she had everything she needed. Spotting the vial of crushed daffodil dragon flower, she grabbed it and stuck it in a small side pocket on her satchel.

It was Monday night, and Hermione was heading to Hogwarts to begin their first session of practical brewing. She and Severus had been working for the last two weeks to examine the properties in the daffodil dragon flower. After a lot of debate, and some yelling sessions of pure stubbornness, they came to the conclusion that they would try to make the moonstone go into the potion using the daffodil dragon flower as a catalyst. But, Severus was convinced that it would not be able to be removed once the process had reached the final stage of brewing.

Hermione fought with him on the point. So they decided to try it and find out who was correct.

Hermione checked the clock as she running out the door and noticed she was running late.

"Oh, no! He is not going to like that."

--

"Do you make it a habit to arrive late to your assigned meetings?" Severus drawled out his annoyance as Hermione rushed into his private lab.

"I apologize." Hermione was breathing hard from her effort to make it there quickly. "I am usually early to meetings. I don't know how time got away from me."

Severus raised his eyebrows at her comment and turned around to make his way over the cauldron he already had set up.

"I have already prepared the base for the Wolfsbane. It is ready for the addition of the moonstone."

Hermione put her satchel down and grabbed the vial of daffodil dragon flower from the side pocket. Rummaging through the satchel, she found her notebook with her most recent notes in it.

"I have the daffodil here." Hermione walked over to the workspace and looked over the cauldron to check on the process of the potion. "Do you have the moonstone out?"

Severus pulled over a small tray that had a sharp knife sitting on top of it and a lump of moonstone. He grabbed the knife, and began to shave the moonstone in small slivers as Hermione watched his hands with apt attention. She had never noticed the expertise that he had in preparing ingredients. His exacting movements and measured control were intriguing to watch. She lost herself in thought as she stared unabashedly at his skilled hands. It was with a sudden flush that she realized how her thoughts had betrayed her by thinking about the way his hands would feel pressed against her skin in a passionate embrace. She began to feel lightheaded with visions of him focusing the same attention he put into his potion making on her.

Once he finished preparing the moonstone he turned to Hermione and noticed her mesmerized state.

"Ms. Granger, it is not advisable to daydream while in the middle of working with volatile substances!" Severus snapped her out of her reverie with his biting remark.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster." Hermione flushed with embarrassed and pretended to look over her notes in an effort to distract herself from the awkward situation.

Severus pulled out a diffusing tube and placed the moonstone slivers in the bottom of the container. With the addition of a quick spell to diffuse the potency of the daffodil dragon flower, he turned to Hermione to acquire the ingredient.

"Ms. Granger, pass me the daffodil."

Hermione took the vial of daffodil and poured it out on a measure to procure exactly 2mg of the substance. Once she was sure of the measurement, she removed the desired amount from the scale and handed it to Severus.

When her hand came into contact with his, she blushed with arousal and quickly removed her hand from his proximity.

Severus noticed her sudden movement and observed the tinge of red that appeared on her cheeks from their contact. He watched her reaction with confusion and wondered if the little chit had some lingering school girl crush for her old professor. It amused him to think of her pining away for someone dark and socially repugnant, like himself; simply because he held a position of authority over her at one time in her life. It must torture her to be stuck on someone that abused her so vehemently; when all she wanted was acceptance and approval in the magical world.

He dismissed his train of thought and began to concentrate of the diffusion of the daffodil in his hand.

Once he finished the procedure, he had a small portion of the combined ingredients in a silver vial ready to be introduced to the Wolfsbane. He handed the vial to Hermione and moved to stand behind her while she stirred it into the potion.

"Be sure to stir counter-clockwise, with a pace of two rotations per minute." Severus stood tall behind her and scrutinized her work.

Hermione was very aware of his position and unable to focus fully on her task. She closed her eyes briefly to gain back her concentration, and began to slowly introduce the diffused combination in single drops.

Her breathing became slightly ragged as she tried to pull her mind away from its constant wandering to old dreams of being in this exact position, and counted the seconds as she stirred with a slow precision.

Once she finished introducing the ingredient, she sighed with satisfaction that the potion did not explode in her face. She was proud of herself for being able to keep her cool; even with Severus standing right behind her the whole time.

Without moving or turning around, Hermione put the ladle and vial down on the counter next to the cauldron.

"Should I turn the fire down slightly for the next stage of brewing?" Hermione asked her question into the cauldron.

Severus stepped closer to her back until he was millimeters away from her body. Hermione opened her mouth slightly as her breath caught in her throat at his sudden intrusion into her personal space.

"Use your senses to decide."

"I don't understand. It has a rolling boil right now. I thought it had to have a slow simmer for the next stage." Hermione felt uneasy with him standing so close to her, and found herself unable to think intelligently.

Severus raised one of his arms and wrapped it gently around her waist, pulling her body into complete contact with his own.

"Close your eyes." Severus rumbled his instructions in a soft low tone that dripped with hormones.

"What?" Hermione nervously squeaked out her confusion of the rising angst of the situation.

"Close your eyes. I want you to pay attention to your other senses to feel the potions status."

Hermione hesitantly closed her eyes and waited for her next instruction.

Severus leaned down to her ear and whispered his next direction.

"What do you smell?"

Hermione slowly pulled in a long breathe as she analyzed the smell of the air protruding from the cauldron.

"I smell flowers and stone."

"You are being intellectual. Do not give me the answer you think I want to hear. Tell me what you really smell."

"It smells…it almost smells like a spring day."

"What else?"

"It's sweet. Like candy."

"Now what do you feel?"

Hermione blushed with her eyes closed as she thought about how she felt his hard body pressed up against her back.

"I feel heat. It feels humid?"

"Good. Finally, what do you hear?"

Hermione listened closely to the silence of the room and concentrated on the bubbling of the potion just below her head.

"I hear the rolling bubbling of the potion."

"There's more. What is it?"

"It…it hisses with the release of each bubble of air. It's very faint."

"Open your eyes Ms. Granger."

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and placed both of her hands flat on the table surface in front of her. She was very aware of Severus's presence still pressed tightly to her.

Severus leaned further down until his lips were right next to her ear. She could feel his breath flush hotly across her ear lobe as the hand around her waist rose slightly to middle of her abdomen.

"Brewing involves all of the senses Ms. Granger. Let this be a lesson to you to always be aware of every aspect of your potion."

And with that he removed his arm from her waist and pulled away from her back. He stepped around the table and caught the sight of her aroused body holding on to the table for composure.

"Wolfsbane should have a bitter smell to it at this stage; and the heat that comes from the potion should be dry in nature, not humid. It seems that, although the daffodil does keep the potion from exploding when the moonstone is introduced, it does not produce the desired result we have for the Wolfsbane.

"I believe this means that I was correct about the daffodil dragon flower."

Hermione's felt the familiar feeling of desire roll around deep within her stomach as she desperately tried to concentrate on what he was saying. She noticed the wetness that was present in her knickers, and a blush rose up the sides of her neck from sheer embarrassment.

"Ms. Granger, are you paying attention?"

Hermione blinked a couple of times as she refocused her attention on the dark man standing in front of her.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at her completely distracted state. It shocked him to see her so lost in her own misguided arousal, that it amused him to have such power over her. He considered the many years of dealing with her constant arm-waving in his classroom and exasperating need to assert her knowledge on him at all costs; and wondered how it would feel to see her pushed out of her comfort zone and brought down a few notches.

He looked her up and down in a manner that could only be described as leering.

"We need to continue our search for another ingredient to use as a catalyst. If we can find something with similar characteristics to the daffodil, I believe we can test the two ingredients and find out the determining factors that are causing the reaction we had today."

Hermione listened to him closely, and began to thumb through her notebook to find a clean sheet of paper. Once she found one, she began to make some notations on what she was looking for to help find the next possibility.

"What if we looked for an ingredient that has to do with the sun?" Hermione absentmindedly blurted out her thoughts as she was writing her notes.

"The sun?" Severus looked at as though she said something absolutely ridiculous. "There is no such thing as sunstone Ms. Granger. Unless you have the desire to be incinerated while harvesting the ingredient."

"I meant an ingredient that reacts to the sun. For example, the flower diffused the reaction of the moonstone and acted as a good catalyst because of its dependence on the sun to find nutrients during its growth process."

"So if we find another plant form that is solely dependent on the sun, we may be able to truly diffuse the moonstone without reducing its place in the potion." Severus thought out loud as he began his usual cleansing routine of his workspace.

Once he disposed of the ruined Wolfsbane, he pulled out the second batch he had started brewing a week before to set it up for its simmering time.

When he realized they would be starting the experimental phase of this project so early on, he began the initial phase of brewing for Wolfsbane in many doses; keeping them all under a stasis charm, waiting for the moonstone to be added.

Hermione looked up suddenly and leapt to her feet as she twirled in place to find Severus.

"Sunflower!"

"Excuse me?"

"Sunflower! I don't know why I never thought of it before? It's the perfect counterpart to the moonstone. The sunflower thrives in direct heat of the sun. It is also known for its ability to be used as a natural stasis charm for brewing, when the brewer does not have a wand with them. It could be perfect!" Hermione spouted her sudden spark of genius off to him in an excited manner.

Severus looked at her without focusing, as he thought about the properties of the sunflower.

"I hate to admit it, but you might be on to something Ms. Granger." Severus begrudgingly admitted. "Can you procure some pure sunflower before tomorrow's meeting?"

"I believe so. I'll go by 'Petunia's Potions' as soon as I get off of work to pick some up. I should have it ready in time for tomorrow night."

Severus nodded his approval and picked up his own notebook with his ideas and theories scrawled throughout. He made a few quick notations and snapped the notebook closed with a sharp finality.

"It's getting late Ms. Granger, I suggest we finish this tomorrow. I will research the sunflower in greater detail before our next meeting."

Hermione looked down in defeat at his dismissal and began to gather her items to leave.

"Yes sir. I will see you tomorrow evening."

"Do try to be on time tomorrow." Severus made his last biting sarcastic remark before turning to enter his office and closing the door behind him; making his dismissal of her presence final.

--

Remus sat in his living room reading a volume on the mating habits of the werewolf. It was an in-depth look at the calls and bonds that can be made due to the instinctual nature of the werewolf. He focused his reading on a section about the blood of a virgin and the werewolf's ability to be marked by her blood in a bond. It stated that this bond was not designed by a natural pull or destined partner, but can be controlled by the host of the lyncanthropy.

So that meant that Hermione was not preordained to be his…just that he attached himself to her unknowingly. As he read on, he found out that this marking can turn into a lifelong commitment that will always strengthen the bond between the two. But it can also be a detrimental to the Lycan if they choose to ignore the pull they get to complete the mating process around their times of transformation.

The wolf's desire is to mate with his bonded partner. It is routed in his instinct to ensure his bloodline. The constant denial of this mating will slowly drive the Lycan insane with lust.

Remus became more worried as he read on about his condition:

_The Lycan has the ability to dismiss the constant pull and desire for this mate if they are unaware of the other's affections. There have been many cases of the Lycan making this bond without their knowledge and continuing their life with no consequences. There is no scientific reason why this phenomenon takes place._

_But the dangerous part comes to the surface when the Lycan becomes aware of the marking and of their partner's affection for them. If the Lycan knows his partner is willing, and still denies the bond to take place, the Lycan can be driven mad with lust to complete the mating. _

_Documented instances of this situation have been researched at great length. In all of the cases the Lycan fully lost control of their cognitive reasoning within 10 months of the realization of their bond. _

_It is advised to allow the mating to take place at least once every three months to ensure the sanity of the Lycan. If the bond can be completed fully each month (the day before their transformation), the Lycan will experience the greatest ease of life and comfort during their transformations._

Remus laid the book on his lap as he thought about all he had just read. The authors words confirmed to him all of the feelings and desires he had felt these last couple of weeks.

His relationship with Hermione had suffered slightly over the last two weeks. He would watch her intensely each time they were together and had a hard time concentrating on anything other than their rather heated encounter the week before.

At one time Hermione noticed his distracted look and questioned his attention. She joked that he was probably picturing her naked.

But he found it hard to participate in their usual playful banter with his mind consumed of thoughts of her writhing beneath him with her legs firmly clamped around his waist, screaming his name.

It was even harder on him, knowing that all he had to do was say the word and Hermione would gladly submit to his every desire.

His mind turned to her again as he remembered that she was at her first brewing session with Severus tonight. He became agitated as unwanted visions of her pushed over one of the lab tables with Severus pounding into her from behind, came rushing to the forefront of his mind.

He growled in frustration as he jumped from his chair and began to pace furiously in front of his fireplace. He kicked the side of his chair as he looked up to check the clock.

9:30 p.m. Hermione would be home by now from brewing.

Making the decision to talk to her, he went over to his fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder.

"Hermione! Hermione are you in?"

Hermione heard Remus's voice coming from her fireplace and quickly put her books down and ran to the living room.

"Remus? Is something wrong with Teddy? It's rather late."

"No, nothing is wrong with Teddy. He's sound asleep." Remus pulled forth his courage and continued, "I was wondering if we could have a talk? Can you come over for a little bit?"

Hermione thought about her day tomorrow, and decided she could lose a little sleep without disturbing her work too much.

"Sure. Give me a second to change out of my work clothes…I'll be over in a few."

"Great."

Remus pulled out of the floo and went to find the book he was reading just a few minutes before. He found it flung open on the ground in front of his chair. He picked it up and flipped through to find the part he was reading about the situation he and Hermione were now in. He didn't know if he was prepared to tell her about the consequences of their circumstances just yet…but he wanted to be prepared.

A couple of minutes later Hermione came through the floo with her hair pulled up in a loose ponytail, her hip hugger jeans on, and a loose men's button down shirt on, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, the collar pulled open and un-tucked. She was a vision that set him on fire.

Without even greeting her, Remus rose from his chair and swiftly made his way over to her by the fireplace. With a fervor she had never before seen from him, he pushed her forcefully against the wall behind her and plundered her mouth with his own.

It took Hermione a second to realize what was going on. She responded with trepidation as he consumed her with his fierce domination of her body. Remus trapped her against the wall with his body pressed up against her, and ran his hands up her sides until he found her breasts. He began to massage them through her shirt and bra as he released her mouth and moved his attention to her neck.

Hermione became breathless under his aggressive behavior. She clasped her hands tightly in the back of his shirt.

She tried to understand what was going on, and became concerned that something was wrong.

"Wait!...wait." Hermione breathed out her command in an effort to gain some semblance of control over the situation. "What happened to waiting until I was done with my project?"

Remus paid little attention to her words as he became consumed by her. He growled at her attempt to distract his assault.

"Remus, I don't understand." Hermione gasped loudly as he bit down on her neck and pushed his hips into hers. His erection was very evident; and Hermione's resolve started to become cloudy. "We have to talk about this!" With all of the will power she could muster, she pulled her hands around to the front of his chest and pushed him from her.

Remus stumbled back a step and checked himself when he realized how much he had lost control of himself.

Hermione looked at him with a shocked expression as her eyes became glassy as tears began to form.

"What is wrong with you Remus? I thought you wanted me to come over and _talk_."

Remus closed his eyes in a guilty gesture.

"I'm sorry Hermione. I can't seem to control myself around you, and it's eating me up inside."

"I thought we agreed to wait until I was done with this project."

Remus sighed in frustration as he began to pace once again in his living room.

"I can't wait Hermione. Every time you are near me I am consumed with thoughts of you laying beneath me in the throes of passion. I can't concentrate at work, and I find myself unable to do anything without you entering my mind.

"I don't care about waiting anymore, Hermione. I want you! I don't care about getting hurt or losing you…I just want you now, for as long as you'll let me have you." Remus stopped his pacing at the end of his rant and looked expectantly at Hermione.

Hermione looked deeply into his soul with confusion, shock and utter disbelief at his words. It was everything she thought she wanted to hear from him.

Unable to process all the events from her night she tightly closed her eyes and looked down, as tears started to form in true confusion.

Remus watched her reaction and knew something was wrong.

"You are already in love him, aren't you?"

The silent sobs and tears began to come faster at his words as Hermione shook her head in a refusal.

"I don't know." Her words were strained through her gasps of air. "He's never given me any reason to believe he will ever feel the same way about me. He's mean, he's distant and he always feels the need to embarrass me. But, for some reason, I react so strongly to his presence that I cannot concentrate on my research or work. And then there are times when we are talking that seem so wonderful as we play off of each other's intelligence. It's amazing.

"My heart tells me to choose you Remus. I love you, I know you will treat me right, and I know you love me in return. We could be perfect together. I love Teddy as if he was my own, and nothing would make me happier than to be his step-mother. But my body chooses Severus. And I hate myself for it.

"I have no idea what my mind wants. I'm just so confused. It hurts." Hermione wrapped her arms around herself and slowly slid her body to ground against the wall. She grabbed her knees in front of her and hugged them to her chest as she rocked her body with her sobs.

Remus watched her as his heart broke. He walked over to her on the floor and sat down next to her. He wrapped her in his arms and laid her head on his chest as he rocked with her.

"Why is it that we are always comforting each other, Hermione?"

"I don't know." Hermione looked up at him from within his arms. "I never thought falling in love would be so hard."

Remus gave her a small smile as he rubbed her back in a comforting gesture. She turned her head back down to the floor as she closed her eyes to relax in his embrace.

"That's what makes it so amazing."

--

A/N: I am working on the next chapter now. I hope to have it up in a couple of days...sorry for the wait. I wrote myself into a corner and my muse decided to take a vacation.


	5. Confronting Feelings

**Unexpected Results**

A/N: Insert usual verbiage about how this is not mine and I am not making any money off of this, it is strictly for entertainment purposes only. This chapter contains some angst and a slight language. If that offends you, please do not read.

Chapter 5: Confronting Feelings

The next morning Hermione woke to find herself tucked warmly in her bed with Mita snuggled up next to her. She had cried herself to sleep in Remus's arms the night before, and he flooed her back to her apartment to put her safely in bed.

When she moved a little to fight the sleep away, Mita shook her feathers and sat up next to her. She hooted a 'Good Morning' to her and hoped over to the edge of the bed. Hermione watched as she leaned over and picked up a rolled up parchment in her beak that was sitting on the nightstand. Mita tottered back over to Hermione and pressed the parchment in her face, flapping it on her nose.

"What is this?" Hermione sat up on her elbows and eyed the parchment with interest. She grabbed the parchment from Mita and unrolled it. She ruffled Mita's feathers in affection before she read the note.

_Hermione,_

_I apologize for confusing you last night with my sudden change of heart. Jealousy got the best of me and I unexpectedly realized how strongly I feel for you; and I don't know how to process it all. I never meant to hurt you…I love you._

_If we need to keep our distance for a time for you to process all of your feelings, I will do my best to respect that and stay away. I have to warn you that I have found out some things about our bond that will forever change our relationship. I am sorry to have put you in this situation. I will explain it all to you when the time is right._

_I only want your happiness, and I hope I can be a part of the life that makes you happy. I will not contact you again. I will leave it up to you to make contact. _

_By the way, your owl is precious. She is very protective of you, but quite a little character…give her my love._

_I love you,  
__Remus_

Hermione sighed heavily as she lay flat on her bed again. She pressed his letter to her chest as her thoughts whirled out of control. She turned her head towards Mita and watched as she rolled around on the blankets, burrowing like a spunky little dog.

"You are one funny little bird, you know that, Mita!" Hermione laughed. Mita must have known that she needed to laugh. "Thank you for being good to Remus; I think he likes you."

Hermione decided to get up and prepare for the day. She stripped off her clothes from the night before as she made her way to the shower.

Once she was there she reflected on all of the things going on in her life as the warm water trickled over her body.

She decided to research the sunflower powder and its properties and get ready for tonight's brewing session. She wanted to be prepared for her next meeting with Severus. She determined in her mind to confront Severus about his behavior if he put her in an awkward situation again. She knew she had to push herself to understand her hesitations and find an answer for Remus. She loved him too much to hurt him anymore.

--

Severus sat at his desk in his office enjoying a shot of his best firewhiskey. The dunderheads overrunning the school were giving him a headache that pounded at his temples. He looked out of the window behind his desk as he thought about his upcoming brewing session with Hermione in a couple of hours.

He found himself shocked at his unexpected distraction earlier in the day. During lunch he started thinking about the previous evening's brewing session and the reaction Hermione had to his taunting. He started to picture her in compromising positions and found himself wanting to take advantage of her vulnerable state while working in his lab; and found himself unable to control the base reaction he was having hidden beneath the table.

He was completely outraged at his own bodies' reaction and ashamed of the state he found himself in. He felt like a randy fifth year daydreaming about the pretty girl in the front row with the tight sweater. It was humiliating.

He growled in frustration as he wrapped his robes around him and exited the Great Hall behind the teacher's table.

Now, as he sat at his desk he found himself musing over the little know-it-all that unexpectedly grew up without his permission. It stunned him more when he began to mull over her intelligence and the way they would play off each other in their research sessions.

He closed his eyes as he remembered one evening when they decided to work late into the night to solve one kink in there process of brewing that kept causing a downward spiral into a gelatinous mess. Hermione suddenly got an idea, and Severus sat in awe as he watched her furiously jot down her thoughts before she lost her train of thought.

Hermione looked up with expectant eyes as her writing came to an end. She pushed herself out of her chair and came over to Severus's work space. Coming up behind him, she leaned over his shoulder and began to flip the pages of the book he had sitting in his lap.

"Miss Granger! Do you mind? You could at least ask before you start interrupting my reading."

Hermione huffed in frustration as she grabbed the book from his lap and pulled it up to her arms and placed her notebook on top, as she matched her notes to the book.

"Look at this." She pointed to the second paragraph in the book and leaned over to show him her point. "This is our problem. The powered daffodil is unable to solidify with the potion and finish its reaction as the catalyst."

Severus read the paragraph and realized the mistake they were making in their brewing. "So if we can solidify the daffodil, it will have the consistency needed to attach itself to the power of the moonstone."

"Yes." Hermione moved a chair close to Severus and sat next to him with her knees pressed against his. She pushed her notebook on their laps between them as she grabbed the quill perched within her hair. "What if we used some moonstone slivers combined with the daffodil to prepare it for the insertion to the potion?"

"That could work. But we have to find a way to combine them in one cohesive substance." Severus ran two fingers over his chin as he thought about her new discovery.

All of a sudden, they both looked up at each other and said at the same time, "Diffusion!"

Hermione stumbled as she realized how close they were to each other and looked down at her notes again.

"Let me work out a few calculations."

Severus watched as she began to make notations and work out the details of the diffusion. He noticed the slight blush that rose up her neck; and it surprised him to see her react so strongly to their new find.

As he reminisced about that evening, he realized that she was reacting to his closeness, and not the new innovation in their research. He became aroused by her sheer intellect and ability to hold her own with masters of their field. His train of thought quickly turned to debauchery as his mind raced through images of interrupting her calculations and pulling her on his lap. It gave him great pleasure to think about stopping her constant words with his lips as he ascended on her mouth in a show of dominance.

Severus shook his head to pull himself from his musings and focus on the night ahead. He was upset with this little slip of a girl for having the audacity to mess with his world. She was invading his thoughts and taking over his body. And he found himself completely turned on by her pushy, studious side that was always ready to fight for her opinions.

--

Two hours later Severus watched the base potion for the Wolfsbane come to a full boil, as he prepared for Hermione's arrival.

For the first time in many years he took some time to check his appearance before another person arrived. He left his office a little earlier than usual in the day to take a shower before their evening of brewing. He brushed his teeth and checked his personal hygiene before dressing back in his usual black teaching robes.

He sighed in pure frustration at his own actions and cursed the little bushy-haired girl that was turning him into someone he never wanted to be. Why was he bothering to make a good impression…it's not like he wanted to start a relationship with her, he just wanted to find out if he could make her scream his name.

Severus was lost in this new train of thought when Hermione came bursting through the doors.

"Ms. Granger; making an unnecessary disruptive display as usual. Tell me, do you find it exciting to always run late for your appointments? Does it give you pleasure to make others wait for your incompetence?" Severus sneered at her as he berated his with his usual biting remarks.

"I am not in the habit of making others wait for me. I simply had a lot of things on my mind today, and I was unable to find the powered sunflower at the store I went to and was forced to go into London to a muggle chemistry supply store to find it in a pure form." Hermione huffed loudly as she caught her breath 

after her mad dash to Hogwarts. "But I have it." She produced the vial of pure sunflower and handed it over Severus.

As Severus grabbed the vial from her, he ran his thumb over her hand before removing his hand and taking the vial over to his workspace.

"Did you do any research on the magical properties of the sunflower?" Severus looked over at Hermione with a question in his eyes. He was taken back when he was confronted with the sight of her bending over her bag as she rummaged through it for supplies and notes. He found himself mesmerized by the sway of her backside as she delved into her things.

Hermione remained bent over as she tried in vain to find her notes from earlier that day. In an unusual lack of preparation at lunch, she was forced to take some notes on the sunflower on napkins. "I found some really interesting properties about the sunflower. I think it can be used much more widely in potions than it already is."

Severus dismissed her words as he made the decision to take the opportunity presented to him. He walked over to her enticing backside and grasped her hips as he stepped behind her.

"Ms. Granger, I believe you have to be punished for your tardiness." Severus pressed his hips against her backside and ran one of his hands up her back.

"What are you doing?" Hermione squeaked. She pushed herself up to a standing position in an attempt to make sense of this sudden turn of events.

Severus quickly moved one hand around her body and ran it up her abdomen as he searched out her breast. "I'm giving you what you want." He groaned out his response deeply as his hand found one of her breasts. He gently massaged her through her robes as he nuzzled her ear. "Don't you think I know what goes through your mind?"

Hermione whimpered as he spun her around, pulling her against his body. She felt the firmness of his chest through his robes, and was shocked to realize the sheer impact he had over her body.

"What do you want Ms. Granger? Do you want me to fuck you on my desk? Pound into you from behind? Or should I push you against this door to take what I want?"

Hermione was breathing hard as she tried to process his proposition. "I don't understand, you hate me." Hermione desperately tried to sound in control as her knees began to buckle underneath her.

"I don't hate you Ms. Granger." Severus nipped playfully at her lips. "Hate is a strong emotion…it requires too much energy to generate pure hatred." He moved down to her neck as he bit and licked at several points along her jaw. "You want this; I know you do. I see it in every blush and shy look away. You wander what it's like to be consumed by your professor." He pressed his erection firmly against her to show her what's in store. "Tell me I'm wrong, Ms. Granger. Tell me what you want."

Hermione moaned as her head rolled back to make more room for him as he moved further down her neck to reach her collarbone. "Oh, Merlin! I don't know." She gasped at his words and the feeling it sparked in her belly.

Severus growled aggressively as he pushed her back a couple of steps to pin her against the door to his lab. He raised his head to search out her lips and claim her mouth in a soul stealing kiss. Hermione's mind swirled into oblivion as she lost her will in his possession of her mouth.

She felt one of his hands move up her body to the back of her head. With a skilled precision he released the ponytail that was holding her hair up on the back of her head. As her hair cascaded down around her, Severus plunged both of his hands into her hair and massaged her scalp as his finders ran through her soft curls.

Hermione moaned loudly in his mouth and wound her arms around his waist to pull him closer to her.

Severus moved one of his hands to her chest and searched out the buttons to her blouse. As he found them he slowly unbuttoned each one with determination. He released her mouth to explore his newly uncovered territory with his mouth.

"Hermione, what properties of the sunflower did you find?" Severus asked her in his usual low professor voice.

"What?" Hermione opened her eyes to see what was going on.

"Pay attention. Focus on what I'm saying." Severus pushed out his tongue to slide it over the top of her breast that was revealed just above her white silk bra. "What properties did you discover in your research of the sunflower?"

"MMmmm, well, it umm…it is a natural catalyst when in its purest form." Hermione gasped loudly as she felt his mouth engulf her nipple with his mouth through her bra.

"What else?"

"When pulverized it has the ability to link two incompatible ingredients." Hermione moaned when she felt one of his hands run along the waistband of her jeans and pull her blouse free of its confines. "A simple example is the bringing together of oil and water when combined in its presence."

"Very good Hermione."

Severus released his hold on her body and straightened to his full height again. He searched her lust filled eyes before making his next move.

He backed away from her just enough to lose contact with her body. She swayed slightly towards him as her body begged for him to touch her again. "Now that you have learned how to work through distractions, we can begin." With those heartless words he turned away and walked over to the lab table that held the vial of sunflower.

"Distractions? What are you talking about?" Hermione's anger rose instantly as she pulled her blouse firmly around herself.

"You were constantly displaying the signs of an assistant that is easily distracted by her own libido. I took it upon myself to teach you how to work through those distractions and exhibit a professional demeanor at all times."

Hermione pounded her fist against the door behind her in a show of pure rage at the situation he made of her. "You bastard!! How dare you play with my feelings like that!!"

"Feelings?" Severus raised one eyebrow at her outrage. "Really, Ms. Granger, what feelings do you honestly think you have for me?"

"Well, I…"

"You what? Tell me Ms. Granger, how do I make you feel?" Severus scrutinized her with pure intrigue into her next words.

"I greatly respect you for your intelligence and the sacrifice you made for us during the war."

"Is that all Ms. Granger? Is there nothing more you feel for me?"

"Why should I feel anything more for you? You have taken it upon yourself to treat me horribly every time I come near you." Hermione was still enraged at his little game he was playing and she stomped her way over to the table he was standing behind.

Severus stepped behind the table next to him to keep some distance between the two of them. "I should be the one upset with this situation. You used me to fulfill your own little school girl crush; your unhealthy desires to be with an authority figure. You have no real sentimental feelings for me…it is purely lust."

Hermione was at a loss for words. She wanted to yell at him and tell him he was completely wrong. But in truth, he was right. She knew she had real feelings for Remus, but she was unsure of her feelings for Severus. He was brooding and frustrating and down-right mean to her. It just didn't make sense to her why she swoons when he debates with her late into the night, she is constantly anticipating her time with him researching and brewing, and still has erotic dreams starring him almost nightly.

When she analyzed her messed up circumstances she realized how much more in common she had with Severus, and how much she desired to have someone waiting for her at home that could discuss her day with her and challenge her on an intellectual level.

"Ms. Granger, start the diffusion. I will be back shortly to assist you with the integration to the Wolfsbane." Severus abruptly ended their argument and left to enter his own private quarters.

Hermione fumed in place as she thought about what to do. Deciding to leave him with his own thoughts, she grabbed the vial of sunflower and picked up her bag as she left for her apartment.

--

Two weeks later, Severus finished the brewing of Wolfsbane for Remus that he usually does each month. Hermione avoided him the most she could. She only came into his presence to trade notes and make small talk about his improvements on the potion. She brewed her own potion in the back room of Mistress Drake's store to have a practical knowledge of the results he found.

Just as he finished bottling the Wolfsbane, he heard a knock on his lab door.

"Enter"

Remus opened the lab door and walked across the lab to stand in front of Severus.

"Hello Severus. I've come to get my monthly dose of Wolfsbane." Remus snarled unconsciously as he came closer to Severus.

"Here." Severus gave him the freshly brewed potion and turned to clean up his workspace.

"Severus, I feel it's necessary to let you know that I am watching you. If you do anything to hurt Hermione I will come after you."

"It is none of your business what I do with Ms. Granger, werewolf."

"I can smell her all over you Severus. It is my business, because I love her." Remus growled as he caught the faint scent of her arousal in the room. It was an old aroma lingering near the door. "She is confused, and doesn't know what she wants…just stay away from her."

"Jealous, werewolf? Maybe you want a piece of her for yourself; or is it me that you want? I always wondered if you and your little gang of misfits were finding pleasure with each other in school."

"She's mine, Severus!" Remus snarled as he caught Severus's collar and pulled him close.

"Let go of me you mutt!" Severus pulled Remus's hands free from his robes. "For someone who claims ownership of her, you should be aware of her actions when I confronted her." Severus walked behind his desk and took a seat to conduct the rest of this conversation. "I'm sure that mangy nose of yours can smell her arousal in this room. She never once mentioned your name the whole time I had her pinned against the wall. In fact she begged for more."

Severus watched Remus closely in case he decided to attack. He observed how Remus began to breathe hard as he taunted him, and heard a low growl emit from within his throat.

"Down boy. I didn't do anything to her. I simply confronted her feelings and gave her a couple of options."

"What kind of options would those be?" Remus ground out his words. "To either ignore you and stay away completely, despite that she needs your expertise in her project; or to take your offer for a quick tumble on your lab table, and then be dismissed like one of your paid companions from Madam Malkin's

"Don't you see her value? Don't you understand what she has to offer? She's a jewel, Severus; and she can be a true match to you in every way. But you just toss her aside like some common whore." Remus picked up his dose of Wolfsbane and turned to leave. "I hope for her sake that she runs from you as fast as she can, right back into my arms."

Severus stood up as Remus pulled the door to the lab open. "Give it up Lupin. If she has not already come running back to you, then she will never choose you over me."

"We will see about that."

"Is that a challenge?" Severus raised his eyebrow with true interest.

"It's a fact." And with those final words Remus walked out of the lab and slammed the door behind him.

"We will see about that." Severus said to himself.

--

Later that night Remus prepared his basement for his transformation. He had taken Teddy to the Weasleys to watch him for the night. He didn't want to bother Hermione while she was still trying to decide what she wanted.

As he paced in his living room waiting out the evening, he thought about all that happened at Severus's earlier that day. It irked him to think of Severus taking advantage of Hermione just to win some childish grudge he was still hanging onto.

Making a decision he quickly went to his little side desk to find some parchment and a quill. He knew if he was ever going to win Hermione's devotion he would have to tell her the truth about their connection. He pulled out the book he read about the bonding they unexpectedly created to make sure he gave her the facts.

_My Dearest Hermione,_

_There is something that I fear I have to tell you that will change both of our lives forever. I know I am breaching the promise I made to you to keep my distance, but everything has changed and I need to see you soon…_

--

A/N: This is my shortest chapter yet. I will warn you that things are going to take a major turn in the future of this story. It may not end up the way you think.


	6. Losing a Loved One

**Unexpected Results**

A/N: There is a character death in this chapter, plus a little bit of a lemon ahead. If you don't want to see either of those situations; you have been warned. Also, the characters do not belong to me (insert usual disclaimer here)…I just do this for fun.

Chapter 6: Losing a Loved One

Hermione lounged in her favorite chair in her study as she read the latest publication of _Potent Potions Weekly_. It had an interesting article in it pertaining to the explosive nature of diced picadilly pears and the many theories being used to deal with this property during brewing. She was completely engrossed in Master Davidson's theory, when a large black raven landed on her windowsill and pecked loudly to get her attention.

Distracted from her reading, Hermione looked up to see the raven and opened her window to let him in. The bird swooped into her study and landed on the seat she was previously sitting on.

"What is it with these birds that think so highly of themselves?"

The bird crowed loudly and eyed her in disapproval of her words. Hermione walked over to the raven and took the parchment from its leg with great trepidation.

She recognized the pronounced script on the parchment as Severus's as she unrolled it.

_Ms. Granger,_

_If you have brewed your version of our distant collaboration correctly you will notice today that the sunflower powder was successful in being used as a catalyst for the moonstone; and has been removed from the potion with no adverse reactions to the final result. _

_I plan on testing the completed potion for potency during the next moon phase. I have procured the help of an unregistered Lycan that is willing to test the potion on himself and give us a detailed account of his transformation. I will be observing the transformation in the dungeons of Hogwarts in a magically secured room. _

_I know you have decided to finish this project from afar, with as little contact with me as possible; but I thought you would want to be present for this stage in the experiment. The next full moon is on Thursday. Please let me know if you will be attending so I can adjust the secure room to recognize your magical signature._

_S. Snape_

_P.S. Beware, Jasper bites; he has a mind of his own. But he is still better than that unruly owl of yours._

Hermione read over the letter a second time while she paced in her study. She was surprised that the potion was already successful in the brewing phase. It had been two days since she visited Mistress Drake's store to check on her own version of the potion and was not up to date on the results.

She stopped pacing and made her way to her desk to respond and let him know that she would be there to observe the transformation and take notes on anything unusual. Once she was done writing her letter she turned to Jasper with caution.

"Jasper." The raven looked up at her and watched her with a glare. It was amazing that this bird had so many traits of his master. "I have my response. Will you let me tie it on your leg without biting me?"

The bird cocked his head slightly, as if it was taking in her words. Then, he suddenly lifted himself from the chair and flew over to Hermione. He crowed at her as he quickly swopped down and grasp her response in his beak. He took off out of the window and made his way back to Hogwarts.

Shocked, Hermione inspected her hand to see a slight scratch where Jasper's beak came into contact with her hand. "Well, okay then. I hope you get my letter to Severus." Hermione said to no one in particular.

It had been six weeks since she had initiated any real contact with either Severus of Remus. She decided to distance herself from both temptations and find out what she really wanted from each man.

The hardest part was being away from Teddy. The first time Remus's transformation came around, she thought about contacting him to make sure Teddy was being taken care of…but then she found out from Ginny that her parents were taking care of Teddy for the day. She was comforted to know that he would be taken care of by someone that he knows well and loves.

That night was difficult as she remembered all the little games and activities she would do with Teddy to take his mind off being away from his Daddy for so long. She missed his cute smile and little mischievous ways.

As the weeks progressed she dissected her feelings over and over again. After a long time, she finally came to the conclusion that she wanted to combine elements from both Remus and Severus to create the perfect man. But the most startling thing she realized was that if Severus would just be nice to her for any length of time, she would probably do whatever he wanted. As much as she hated to admit it, she was a slave to his whims.

After hundreds of lists of pros and cons for each man, going over predictions of what life would be like with each man, and countless dreams involving both of them; she came to the conclusion that she wanted Severus. No matter how many times Remus became the answer and the logical choice she just couldn't let that be the final decision. It was then that she realized that Severus had an intangible quality about him that always trumped Remus's qualities.

It frustrated her, and she kept avoiding both of them out of fear of telling Remus her decision. She just couldn't bring herself to break his heart.

Hermione decided to take a break from her reading and make herself some lunch. She went into her kitchen and found Mita tossing a piece of paper around on the kitchen table.

"Mita, what do you have?" Mita grabbed the paper and flapped over to the top of the refrigerator to hide her little prize.

"I don't think so, Mita. You come here this instant." Mita hooted at her in defiance and turned her back to Hermione. "Alright, you brought this on yourself."

Hermione took out her wand. "Stupefy!" She watched as Mita froze in place and fell over on the refrigerator. Hermione went over to the refrigerator and pulled herself up on the little step stool she kept right there for reaching into higher cabinets.

She grabbed Mita and cradled her as she laid her down on the kitchen table. Once there, Hermione grabbed the paper that Mita was playing with and protecting so vehemently.

Upon inspection she noticed the familiar handwriting of Remus's on it. "Oh, Mita, how long ago did Remus send this? You are such a bad owl!"

The paper was all ruffled with abuse and torn in places. She had a hard time reading the words that were written some time ago.

"Papyrus Repairo." Hermione flicked her wand to try and repair the weeks of damage to the letter.

"It looks like the date on this is over four weeks old. Mita, I am amazed at you…this is very bad!" Hermione released Mita from the stupefy and directed her to her cage as punishment. "You can stay there until I feel that you have learned your lesson."

Hermione picked up the battered letter from Remus and sat down at the kitchen table to try and decipher it all.

_My Dearest Hermione,_

_There is something that I fear I have to tell you that will change both of our lives forever. I know I am breaching the promise I made to you to keep my distance, but everything has changed and I need to see you soon. _

_I read a book on the mating and bonding rituals of the Werewolf to learn more about the unique bond we have. I wanted to understand the strong and overwhelming emotions I kept feeling for you all of the time. I have the book and I can send it to you if you are interested in reading it as well. _

_What I found is that we are connected by your virgin's blood in an unconscious bond. But, when I became aware of your desires for me (the dream you described that wonderful night), Moony became aware of the bond and now longs to be united with his mate. All documented cases of this connection show that once the bond is revealed to the Wolf, if it is not consummated the host of the Wolf will go insane within six months. _

_I never meant for this to happen. And I want you to know that I do love you, even without the bond. I know that you might choose Severus; and I will accept your choice. But, we will forever be forced to consummate our bond at least once every two months to keep me from losing my mental capabilities. If this is too hard for you to do, I will accept my fate and gladly die with your love in my heart._

_I wanted to tell you this in person, but I knew I needed to give you time to think about your feelings. So I am writing this letter the night of my transformation. Know that my heart beats only for you, my Hermione. I will always be yours._

_Remus_

Hermione was shocked to read this news. She sat stunned in the kitchen trying to process all that he revealed in his letter.

It suddenly hit her that he wrote that letter over four weeks ago; meaning he had gone about seven weeks without any contact with her. She immediately started to worry for his mental state.

She got up and made her way to her fireplace. She grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it in the fireplace. "Remus's House," she yelled firmly as she made the trip to his living room.

Once she arrived she took a deep breathe as she saw the mess in his house. His house was completely disheveled with rips in the furniture, chairs turned over and pictures off the wall. She walked slowly through the mess as she called out his name to try and find him.

When she came to the conclusion that he was not there she left a short note telling him to get in touch with her as soon as he got this message. She pinned it on his front door, hoping he would find it.

--

Severus was sitting at his desk looking over the house points roster for the semester. There had been a rather nasty dual between a couple of seventh year Gryfindors and Slytherins over some allegedly misappropriated points. He was now given the tedious task of confirming all the points on the roster to verify their validity.

He was interrupted by the voice of Hermione coming through his fireplace.

"Headmaster?"

"What is it Ms. Granger?" Severus was displeased at being interrupted twice in the last hour during this task.

"I was wondering if you have been in contact with Remus in the last couple of days?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I just saw him when he came to get his dose of Wolfsbane for this month." Severus watched her head in the fireplace as she grimaced in concern.

"Did he look okay? Did there seem to be anything wrong with him?"

"He seemed the same as always Ms. Granger." Severus raised an eyebrow at her concern for the Wolf. Maybe he needed to step up his pursuit of her. "Why, pray tell, are you interested in his well being?"

"He is a friend Severus. One tends to be interested in the well being of their friends."

"Yes, well, I received your letter. Can I expect your presence at the observation of the transformation of the Wolfsbane potion tomorrow night?"

"Ummmm…" Hermione faltered as her apprehension for Remus began to get in the way of her research.

"This is a very important stage in the project. It is vital that you be there to understand all of the nuances of the next phase." Severus scolded her uncertainty.

"I'll be there. I will come over around 8:00 p.m." Hermione decided to leave him alone since he didn't have anymore information about Remus. "Good day, Headmaster."

Severus watched her face disappear from his fireplace. He remained dazed as he lost his train of thought while thinking about her. It still made him angry to admit to himself that he missed having her mess up his life and antagonize him on a regular basis.

Tomorrow should be interesting.

--

Hermione went over to Remus's house one more time to look for him. As she trudged through the mess in his house she kicked an old book that had pages earmarked all through out it. She picked it up and read the title, _Lycanthropy Mating and Bonding: An In-Depth Study on the Instinctual Desires to Procreate as a Lycan_. She flipped through the pages a little, and soon realized that it was the book Remus had mentioned in his letter to her.

Hermione tucked the book into her jacket and flooed back to her apartment to study its contents.

--

Severus sat back and watched the little intricacies of Hermione's actions as she prepared for the observation of the Lycan's transformation. She had arrived only thirty minutes before, and was preparing her notes for the evening's activities. He noticed her nervous twitch as she glanced up slyly to see if he was watching her every once in a while. She seemed to be distracted and kept flipping through an old book that looked familiar to him.

"Are you prepared for the transformation?" Severus walked up beside her without her noticing and startled her out of her concentration.

"I believe so." Hermione straightened her notes and clothing that were jostled from his unexpected approach. "What time is the moon expected to rise this evening?"

"It should be up in about 10 minutes. I feel I should remind you that the cage he is in is completely sound and backed up with a magical shield to keep him from getting free. But please be sure to keep your distance from the cage during the night. He may try to reach for you through the bars." Severus peered down at the notes in front of Hermione and caught the title of the old book she was nervously fondling.

_Now that is interesting. It seems my little know-it-all is researching bonds and mating habits in werewolfs. That is never a good sign._ Severus went over the details he remembered about the book she had clutched in her hands. He remembered the first time he read it when he was a student at Hogwarts. Back then he would use the information he found in it to torment Remus by making fun of the animalistic ways his affliction could control him. Remus was always embarrassed by his lack of knowledge of his own burden, and would try hard to keep Severus from telling the other students.

Severus pulled up a chair next to Hermione and situated himself next to her to observe the impending show. The Lycan was a misfit he found in the dark forest surrounding Hogwarts. Severus had threatened to turn him in as an unregistered magical creature; and then gave him the option to participate in this little experiment in exchange for his silence.

Severus watched the young man pace nervously as the moon started to make its appearance. His concentration was broken as he noticed Hermione's eyes widen in recognition of the transformation about to take place.

She dropped her notes and book as she unconsciously walked closer to the cage to see the fascinating change begin. Severus stood up behind her and watched her closely as the Lycan's bones began to break and stretch. The beast howled loudly and roared in pain as the transformation took over completely.

Hermione gasp at the shear pain that was etched on the beast's face. She heard a slight whimper come from the Wolf as he started to settle into his new form.

Hermione reached for the animal instinctively to try and help it in some way.

"Hermione, No!!" Severus grasped her fiercely by her robes and pulled her away from the cage just as the Wolf swiped his paw out of the bars of the cage in an effort to scratch her.

In his desperate attempt to pull her from the animal's reach he stumbled on his own robes and fell backwards on his bum. He hit the ground hard as Hermione came tumbling down on top of him. Her knees fell to the ground in between Severus's legs as her upper body fell flat on top of him.

After a few seconds Hermione took stock of her position and blushed when she found herself lying on top of Severus with her legs between his and her hands pressed firmly on his chest. She moved her hands to the ground on each side of his body and pressed her upper body up slightly to gain a better perspective of her situation.

Severus gazed into her lust filled eyes and swiftly thrust one of his hands into her hair. He pulled her head down to his as his own lips sought to claim hers. He quickly became overwhelmed with the desire to make her his completely as his free hand traveled done her side and over her lower back. He used his grip on her body to press her tightly to him.

His kisses were gentle. Hermione was breathless and panting as she melted into his soft embrace. Her body rocked with barely noticeable undulations on top of his as she became fully aware of her own level of arousal. She lost all thought process and consciousness of her surroundings. As her endorphins rose with each caress and gasp for breath, she growled and bit his bottom lip just hard enough to cause some pain.

"Uggghhhh!!" Severus gasped loudly in shock at her actions. "You little Minx!" He growled in a show of dominance and pushed her over on her back.

Hermione let out a small whimper in pain as her back hit the hard, cold dungeon floor. She was lost to him and slowly falling under his control.

Severus adjusted his position over her with his weight on his elbows on either side of her. He took his time teasing her lips as he began to whisper her name between each decent on her.

"Hermione…you are mine." Severus moved his attentions to her neck. He felt her hands push into his hair as she held his head tightly to her and guided him over her. "I will never share you Hermione. Know that now…when I claim you as mine, you will never stray from me." His words were strained as his hips bucked against her.

Hermione's clouded thoughts started to clear slightly as she realized the depth of his words. He was claiming her for himself and only him. She knew it could never be that way as long as she was bonded to Remus. "I can't…Severus, I…"

Her concentration was taken away when Severus put his weight on one of his elbows and thrust his free hand down her abdomen to find the closure to her jeans. With skilled dexterity he released her buttons and zipper and plunged his hand down to her core.

"Oh, Merlin!!" Hermione rolled her head back as his actions clouded her thoughts once again. "Oh, Severus." Her hips began to rise and fall as she rocked herself against his hand.

"Yes, Hermione. You are so wet. I can't wait to feel you around me." Severus's long fingers delved into her core. He teased her clit with his thumb as he pressed one finger into her heat. "So hot. Yes, that's it Hermione. I need you."

Hermione's eyes were closed tightly as her body luxuriated in the feelings he was pulling from her. Her hands were grasping firmly to his shoulders as he continued to lick his way down her collarbone.

"I can smell your arousal, Hermione. You smell sweet." Severus words pushed her closer to the edge as she continued to moan with each thrust of her hips. "Look at me Hermione. Open your eyes."

Hermione forced her eyes open and moved her head to look down at his assault on her body. She gasped at the sight of him fully clothed in black dominating her completely. He looked up to meet her eyes, and she felt lost in his bottomless black eyes. He looked ready to devour her entirely.

Suddenly, they were both pulled from their fog of lust when a deafening howl pierced their ears loudly. Hermione pushed herself up on her elbows as Severus rolled off to the side of her body. They were both drawn to the source of the howl; the werewolf that gazed at them with an intense look.

"Oh no." Hermione began to move away from Severus and straighten her clothing as she righted herself again.

Severus studied the eyes of the werewolf as the wolf stood in place, riveted to the scene playing out in front of him. "He seems to have control of his mind. His eyes are fixed and possess a softer quality." Severus adjusted his trousers around his slowly flagging erection as he made an effort to stand up and take a seat in his previously abandoned chair.

"Yes, you're right. It seems that I have seen all I need here tonight. I trust you will interview him in the morning to get his accounts of his transformation." Hermione desperately tried to gather her discarded notes and book to put herself together.

Severus watched her as she tried in vain to gain control of her body and look professional again. "That should not be a problem Ms. Granger."

Hermione stopped her frantic bumbling of items and turned to look at his sitting calmly in his chair. "Very well, then I will be on my way. I will get your reactions to the quality of the potion via owl." Hermione picked up her things with finality and made to leave the secure room in the dungeons.

Severus never took his eyes off of her as she started to make her way to the door. Just as she was about to pull open the door he softly called, "Hermione."

She was stunned by the use of her first name in a professional situation, despite all they had just done only minutes before. She slowly turned to look at him still sitting in his chair, looking at her with a powerful gaze.

"I do want you." He took a deep breath as he moved into unchartered territory for him. "I may not have the pretty words or proclamations of love that Lupin can so easily throw about…but I do want you to be…" his words trailed off as he became unsure of what to say. "I find myself distracted by your presence, Hermione."

Hermione watched him with interest, waiting for him to continue…to explain…something. The silence between them became deafening.

"I must be on my way." Hermione shakily let out those words to try and release herself from his pull.

"Good night, Ms. Granger." Severus looked away with his final dismissal and turned his attention back to the werewolf that paced in his cage.

Hermione took a steadying breath as she turned to leave. "Good night, Severus," she whispered her words as she pulled the door open to depart.

Severus turned his head just in time to watch the door latch closed behind her.

--

The next morning Hermione woke suddenly from a frightening dream. She was sweating in her bed as she tried to catch her breath. Her night had been plagued with disturbing images of the wolf's transformation that she had 

witnessed only hours before. She kept seeing Remus's face in agonizing pain flash into her dreams, causing her to worry.

She looked beside her on the bed to find her usual companion, Mita. But she was surprised when her bed was empty. She then remembered the day before when she punished Mita for almost destroying the letter Remus sent. In her sleepy state she grabbed her wand from under her pillow and flicked it to release Mita from her cage.

After getting up and preparing herself for the day, she went to her kitchen to make some coffee. She had a feeling she would need some caffeine to make it through this day. Just as she was sitting down to enjoy the warm cup of legal addictives, Jasper came swooping in her kitchen window and landed in front of her on the table. He had a small message clasped in his beak. He dropped the note in her cup of coffee and quickly flapped his wings to leave.

"Why you little…" Hermione gave up as she fished the parchment out of her cup. She cast a quick drying spell on the message and opened it to read it.

_Hermione,_

_I have all of the details of the transformation to give to you. It seems to be a success. I would like to meet with you tonight at 7pm to go over the results and discuss our next step in the project. I also feel that we need to discuss last night's activities._

_S. Snape_

Hermione's stomach did a flip as she read the message a second time. It was so short, yet so packed with double meanings and possibilities. Did he want to take their attraction to the next step? If so, would he be able to accept Remus's new role in her life? Can she truly give herself to two men? Or does he just want to scold her again for her 'distractions' and push her even further away? It was all so confusing.

Hermione poured out the coffee that she never got to drink and went into her study to find her book bag from last night. Sitting on top of it was the book she had found at Remus's house the day before. She then decided to go over to his house and see how he was doing. She had a lot of things she needed to discuss with him and decisions to make.

He would be recovering from his transformation the night before…so she grabbed her first aid kit and flooed over to his place.

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks when she stepped into Remus's living room. There were Aurors all over the house sifting through the mess that was still in the house.

"What are you doing? Stop it!" Hermione ran over to the first Auror she could get to and grabbed his arm to pull him away from his task. "This is my friend's house, you have no right here." The Auror released himself from her hold and continued to go through the books lying all over the floor.

"Stop it!! All of you, Stop!" Hermione tried in vain to get one of them to pay attention to her.

"Hermione."

That familiar voice struck terror in her heart as she turned to see Harry standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "Harry, what's going on here?" Tears began to form in her eyes as she recognized the distraught look on Harry's face.

"Hermione, I need to talk to you."

"No!" Harry walked over to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her in an effort to comfort her. She pushed at him in a fit. "No! It can't be!"

Harry hugged her tightly to him and pressed one of his hands in her hair as he cradled her head on his shoulder. "Hermione, we found Remus's body this morning in the dark forest."

Hermione's tears came full force as her worst fears were realized with his words. "This can't be…it's not the way it was supposed to happen."

Tears began to slowly run down Harry's cheek as he stood there holding one of his best friends through another tragedy in their lives. "We tested his blood, Hermione. He _had_ taken his Wolfsbane. But he escaped from his basement. The chains were broken. I don't know what happened or why he would do this. Why would he leave?"

Hermione's sobs became uncontrollable. She grasped Harry as close to her as possible as she started to lose her ability to stand. She fell to her knees with Harry still holding on to her. They both sat on the ground in Remus's living room as the devastation took hold.

--

A/N: I want to thank all of the wonderful reviews and support for this story. I know I just gave you all a curve ball, but this story keeps having a mind of its own. Now that Hurricane Ike has settled down in the Houston area, I am finally back at work full time. So it may take me a little longer to get up new updates. I apologize for any delay…I will work as fast as I can.


	7. Moving Forward

**Unexpected Results**

A/N: Warning-there is a lemon in this chapter that earns the rating of this story. If this offends you, remember you were warned. I want to thank all of my faithful readers and reviewers. I know I shocked everyone with the demise of Remus. I never thought the story would go this route…but it got away from me. I tried to rewrite the chapter with Remus alive, and it just wouldn't work out. Those two boys were just not into sharing and couldn't play nice. Severus is a little out of character in this chapter…but it's hard to get him to do what you want when he keeps acting like a bitter bastard. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 7: Moving Forward

The days seemed to pass unnoticed for Hermione as she spent the fifth day in a row in her bed grieving. Harry would come by each day to check in on her and make sure she was eating something. On the third day Ginny came by and tried her best to get Hermione out of bed and dressed in fresh clothes. After two hours of coaxing her with no results, Ginny gave into Hermione's depression and got in the bed with her to grieve as well. The two of them cried for hours, talked about the good times they remembered with him, laughed through the tears, and slept next to each other.

By the end of the day Ginny went home to Harry and told him to just let Hermione work it out in her own time. She realized that just talking to her was very healing and would help in moving her past her feelings of loss.

On the sixth day Severus made an unexpected visit to Hermione's flat. He had read the news of Remus's demise in the _Daily Prophet_ and knew Hermione would need help getting back on track. When he remembered the book she had with her the night they were observing the Lycan's transformation, he started to put it all together. He had a gut feeling that she was blaming herself for Remus's downfall.

Severus apparated to her doorstep and knocked on the door. After waiting a minute with no response, it only took a simple 'Alohamora' to open her door and gain access to her flat. His mind quickly started to run over the ways he would scold her for allowing her house to be so poorly protected against intruders; but then he put all of his righteous anger aside when he remembered why he had come in the first place. Inside, the place was dark and dusty. It looked as if it had been abandoned. He flicked his wand wordlessly and performed a few mass cleaning spells to try and freshen the place up a bit. _I can't believe this girl has managed to reduce me to the tasks of a maid. What is wrong with me?_

Severus walked down the hallway and saw the door to Hermione's room opened slightly. He quietly called out her name, so as not to startle her.

"Hermione…Hermione, are you awake?" He got to her door and pushed it open the rest of the way. As soon as the door opened there was a flash of feathers before his eyes.

Mita had heard the stranger come in the apartment and she waited for him just inside Hermione's bedroom door. When the door opened, she recognized the dark wizard that had been so rude to her earlier. She swooped up off her perch and flew in front of him in an effort to protect her mistress. She kept flying around his head, avoiding his arms, and hooting loudly at him. At times she would get close enough to nip at his hair or clothes to try and distract him from his purpose.

Severus swung his arms up and at the owl in an attempt to bat her away from his head. When she started to peck at him and hoot loudly, he had finally had enough. "That is it bird! I warned you!" Severus pulled his wand from his pocket and went to point it at the flying nuisance.

"Stop!" Hermione had been woken from her slumber by the commotion and looked up to see Severus about to hex Mita. "Mita come here this instant!"

Mita flew back over to the bed and hesitantly sat down next to Hermione. She was on guard, and wanted to teach that rude man a lesson.

"I apologize…she is very protective of me. I've had her since she was a baby." Hermione pet Mita on the head with affection to soothe her from her state of agitation.

Severus calmed down after the attack and turned to observe Hermione's disheveled appearance. His heart broke for her. For the first time, since the death of Lily, he truly wished he could take the pain away from another person in order to spare them the hurt that he was so used to in life. He stood there for a few minutes in complete silence as he tried to form the words he needed to say.

"Hermione, it was not your fault."

Hermione looked up at Severus and watched the uneasiness that came from him. "You don't know what you are talking about."

"Your bond with Remus did not cause his demise, Hermione."

Hermione gasped at his revelation and wondered how he could even guess at what she was thinking. "How do you know about that?" Her voice was shaky from lack of use and her fragile emotional state.

"I noticed the book you had the night of the transformation. It didn't take long for me to figure out what kind of connection there was between the two of you. Especially after Remus violently warned me to stay away from what was his. Moony was obviously threatened by me and was trying to claim his mate."

Hermione looked around to try and gather her thoughts as all of her secrets quickly came rushing forth and smacked her right in the face.

"I only found out about the true connection we had just before the full moon. I should have gone to him. I should have found him instead of going to observe that stupid project. It was all my fault." Hermione started to cry softly as the memories of it all came back full force.

"Hermione, the bond you had with Remus did not cause his death. His actions were self inflicted. He could have gone many more months without contact from you before he lost complete control of his actions."

"You're wrong! He would never do that. He loved Teddy to much to leave him alone. He loved me!" Hermione's tears started to flow faster as she started to lose control of her emotions again.

"He left a pensieve Hermione."

Hermione sobbed and hiccupped as she tried to get a handle of herself again. "What are you talking about?"

"At the Ministry, in his desk, he had a Last Will & Testament that was documented and signed by his attorney a couple of years ago. But, during the last couple of days before the full moon he added a pensieve to the Will that is marked for your eyes only." Severus walked over to her bedside and looked down upon the distraught girl before him. He wanted to take her in his arms and make the pain go away. "He knew what he was doing. He prepared for this."

"Why would he do that? Why would he leave me? And Teddy?"

Severus moved to sit beside her on the bed. His eyes never lost contact with hers. "Maybe your answers will be in that pensieve. You need to get up, take a shower, get dressed, and eat a healthy meal. Then I will escort you to the Ministry to see the pensieve he left for you."

Hermione saw the concern written on Severus's face, and for the first time she felt like he truly had his guard down with her. She surprised him by flinging her arms around his shoulders and hugging him tightly to her body. She laid her head on his shoulder and began to cry the last little bit of her grief and found comfort in his arms.

Severus sat there, confused as to what he should do. He simply put his arms around her and held her next to him as her tears wet the collar of his black suit.

--

An hour later Severus and Hermione stood in the lobby of the Ministry building. They waited for Harry to come down from his office to meet them so she could see the Last Will & Testament left by Remus. In their investigation they had gone through Remus's desk and found the Will. Harry gave it to Arthur Weasley to read through it all and make sure that all of his final requests were satisfied.

"Hermione, it's good to see you out of the house." Harry smiled as soon as he saw her standing there in clean clothes with some color back in her cheeks.

"Harry." Hermione hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. She felt so much better once Severus had forced her to take a shower and put on clean clothes. He had also taken the time to fix her some scrambled eggs and toast while she was showering, and had it waiting on the table for her with a glass of fresh pumpkin juice. She was still shocked by his sudden interest in her health. It was unnerving to have him show any signs of affection or kindness to her in this way.

Harry released her from the hug and looked over her shoulder at the black figure standing behind her. "Snape, what are you doing here?"

"Harry, he is the one who got me to get out of bed and come here. I have come to see the pensieve Remus left for me."

"Since when are you friends with him?" Harry looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Potter I have no desire to cause any problems with my presence here today. I simply came in an effort to support Ms. Granger during this difficult task." Harry watched as Severus's eyes softened when he looked upon Hermione. "We have become partners in a very profitable project, and her mental stability is of great concern to me."

Harry was very suspicious of Snape's reason for being by Hermione's side; but if he was able to get her out of her slump, he was willing to be civil for one day. "All of his items have been archived in the investigative offices on the fifth floor. Let me take you there."

Harry led the way as they maneuvered their way through the bustling activity in the Ministry. Once they found the investigative offices, Harry signed them in as visitors and escorted them to the section for open cases. He knew exactly where all of Remus's stuff was…he had just been tagging everything to close out the case when he got the message that Hermione was waiting for him in the lobby.

Hermione stopped in place when she saw all of Remus's items spread out on a table. Severus almost ran into her when she suddenly stopped. He put out his arms and guided her with his hands on her shoulders to gently nudge her to keep moving forward. When he felt the tension in her body begin to gather as her emotions began to take over again, he leaned down to her ear and whispered, "You can do this Hermione."

Harry was dumbfounded as he watched the interaction between the two. He had never seen Snape show any gentleness towards another person in his whole life. The only time Harry had ever seen a softer side of Snape was in the vision of his affections for Harry's mother. It made him wonder if Snape had formed some feelings for his best friend.

Harry dismissed his train of thought and rummaged through the items on the table in front of him. He pulled out the pensieve that was left in Remus's desk and held it out for Hermione. "He clearly marked this for you to see. He even put a protection charm over it that will only allow you to enter it." Hermione gently took the bowl from Harry and found a seat in a nearby chair. She sat there in silence and stared at the thing in her lap, afraid to proceed.

"Hermione, once you have seen his message, Arthur has the written Will. He can go over all of the parts that pertain to you."

Hermione looked up at Harry and gave a half smile at her friend for trying to make things better. "Well, there's no time like the present." Hermione moved towards the pensieve as she slowly entered into its pull.

Once she was there she almost fell to her knees and cried as she saw Remus standing there in his best robes. He was outside in a beautiful field of Gerber daisies. She watched as he walked around in the cool breeze and enjoyed the sun beaming down on his face.

It was then that he turned to her and caught her eyes. Hermione gasped as she realized he had made this pensieve just for her. It was like watching a video made for a particular person. He kept walking around the field, but he never took his eyes off of her. She wanted to run to him and grab him…to take him in her arms one more time. But it would all be futile.

"_Hermione, if you are watching this, then I have left to another realm. Hopefully it will be many years from now, but I fear that may not happen. There are a few things I wanted to tell you in person so you can know the truth. _

"_I love you, Hermione. I have loved you from the first time we were together. I know we used each other that day to comfort each other in our horrible losses…but I fell completely and madly in love with you. My biggest regret in life is that I never did anything about it until it was too late. _

"_My love for you is beyond anything I ever felt for Dora. There was something about you that was so consuming, that I never felt like that before. I was so afraid of losing the friendship we had between us, of messing up our special bond, that I just sat on the sidelines and waited…hoping that one day you would confess your undying love for me. _

"_But, unfortunately, when you finally did, I pushed you away because of my fear of losing you to Severus. I was a fool._

"_Three weeks ago I sent you the letter explaining our bond. I have not heard from you and I have taken this to mean that you have made your choice. I want you to know that I do not blame you for choosing Severus. He is a good man. He just needs the love of an amazing woman, like you, to bring him out of his cold and hardened shell." _Remus looked away and watched a couple of birds play in the breeze as the sun slowly started to set on the horizon.

"_He loves you Hermione. I'm sure of it. And if anything should happen to me, I want you to go to him and cling to him for the rest of your life. If I know anything about Severus, it is that he is a possessive man and he will guard what is his with his very life." _Remus chuckled softly at his own words. Then he turned back to Hermione and began to address her.

"_I want you to take care of Teddy. I am giving you full guardianship of him and my estate to help pay for his upbringing. Teddy loves you as his mother already, and he will have an easy time making the transition with you. _Remus smirked as he said, _"I'm sure the last thing Severus wants is a toddler running around in his pristine quarters. But I have a feeling he would make a good father._

"_I have added many other memories to this pensieve for you and Teddy to watch as the years go by. They are some of my favorite memories of you and Dora. I have even put in some memories of you as a third year…I'm sure Teddy will get a kick out of them when he is older. _

"_Well, I guess that's all I have to say. Take care of yourself…and if you haven't finished that Wolfsbane project already, hurry up and get it done. There are people out there depending on you._

"_I love you."_ Remus stretched out his arm as if he was going to nuzzle her check with his hand. Hermione closed her eyes as she imagined his gentle touch. Tears began to silently fall down her face as she felt the familiar pull of being taken from the pensieve.

She opened her eyes to the sight of two completely different men watching her with concern etched on their faces. She sat there silently waiting for the right words to describe what she just saw. But she knew that she couldn't give away the message Remus gave her to anyone else.

After a minute, Harry finally stepped forward slightly to address Hermione. "Are you okay?"

Hermione gave Harry a sad little half smile as she thought about her life was about to change drastically. "He wants me to take care of Teddy."

"Yes, Arthur told me you would gain custody of Teddy. It was in his will." Harry looked confused, "Was there anything else he told you?"

"Yes, Harry. But those words are for me." Hermione placed a protection charm over the pensieve and shrunk it to put it in her pocket. "There's nothing that you need to know."

Hermione walked over to the table and ran her fingers over the robes that lay on the table full of Remus's things. They were the same robes he wore in the pensieve. She smiled to herself as thought about how he dressed up for her in his final message to her…something she could never get him to do when they went out to parties.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about Teddy? It has been six days?" Hermione turned her head to ask Harry.

"We decided to wait until you were ready for the news. We didn't want to place anymore burdens on you while you were grieving his loss."

"Where is he?"

"He is staying with Arthur and Molly. They have had him in their care since just before the full moon."

Hermione turned to look at all of the things on the table. She saw the signs of Harry closing out the case on one of the tags. She picked up the tag and ran it through her fingers as questions began to run through her head. "Have you finished your investigation?"

"Yes."

"How did he die?" Hermione turned to Harry and trapped him with a strong look of determination. She didn't want him to shy away from the truth.

"We found the DNA of two other werewolves under his fingernails. I talked to an expert in werewolf packs. He claimed that if a strange male werewolf were to enter into a pack that is not his own, they would attack him in defense of their females. He was badly mauled…we found cracked ribs, both of his legs were broken, a couple of cuts on his chest were extremely deep, and he suffered a concussion from a blunt object." Harry trailed off in his explanation as Hermione started to sob.

Severus went to her and pulled her body into his embrace. He turned her towards his own body and cradled her head on his chest as she sobbed and clutched tightly to him.

"What I don't understand is why he would leave the safety of his own house and approach an unknown pack of werewolves? With the Wolfsbane, his mind was intact." Harry questioned the circumstances of Remus's death.

"Potter, where was his body found?"

"He was found in the dark forest just outside of Hogwarts. Just past the lake."

Hermione looked up a little and gasped as she realized the implications of that piece of information. "He was coming for me," Hermione whispered.

Severus cupped her cheek gently with his hand and looked at her eyes that were red from crying. "You don't know that Hermione." Severus placed a comforting kiss on her forehead and laid her head back on his chest.

"I will see Hermione home. Is there anything that Arthur needs to complete the execution of the Will?" Severus looked up to Harry as he continued to hold tightly to the girl that felt so frail in his arms.

"She needs to sign some papers to transfer the title of his estate over to her, and she has to fill out the adoption paperwork in order to be officially named the guardian of Teddy."

"Thank you. I will see that those things are done." Severus slowly started to guide Hermione out of the investigative offices and down the elevator in the Ministry. Once he reached the lobby, he gave up trying to guide the crying mass of woman wrapped around him and picked her up in his arms to take her home.

He went just outside of the Ministry and apparated the both of them to Hermione's flat. He took her down the hall to her room and placed her on her bed. When he tried to release her and stand upright again, she grabbed a hold of him and pulled him back down to her body.

"Hermione, I need to get back to Hogwarts for a little bit. You need to get some rest and calm down." Severus tried to gently pull himself from her grasp.

"Please stay with me. Just hold me." Hermione looked up at him with sadness in her eyes. He could see the pain begging for someone to take it away. He took a deep breath as he gave into her will.

He walked around to the other side of the bed and pulled the covers up to get in the bed with her. He got in and scooted over to her side of the bed. He then pulled her back to his chest and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hold. He took in the distinct smell of her as she closed her eyes and snuggled closer into his body.

"Thank you, Severus," Hermione said in a sleepy tone as she yawned loudly.

Severus watched her drift off to sleep. He lay there wondering how things had changed so quickly between the two of them. He didn't understand how she had so swiftly reduced him to a lovesick puppy, following her around and protecting her from the world. _How did she gain this control over me, and why am I letting it happen?_

--

Hermione woke up a couple of hours later to an unfamiliar warmth. She blinked open her eyes and realized she was firmly wrapped in Severus's arms. The day started to come back to her as she remembered asking him to stay with her. She pulled away slowly and turned to look at him behind her.

His face was serene in his sleep. He had one arm folded up under his head and one still wrapped around her waist. Hermione tried to pry herself away from his hold, when he unconsciously pulled her back into his body in a tighter grip. He mumbled something in his sleep and groaned, "Mine."

Hermione smiled as she watched him sleep so soundly before her. It was a side of Severus she never thought she would see. She pulled one of her hands from her side and slowly placed her fingers on his head at the start of his black hair. She began to softly brush her fingers through his hair as she pushed the hair away from his eyes. She pulled herself closer to his face to inspect him closer.

She found herself staring at his lips and unconsciously licking her own lips in anticipation of kissing him. She moved up closer to him until she could feel his breathe against her own face. She put her hand fully into his hair and cupped the back of his head as she guided him to her lips.

Severus was startled awake to the sensation of an unusual warmth enveloping his lips. His eyes darted open as his body jerked slightly at the sudden awakening. He looked down at Hermione just centimeters from him with her eyes begging for acceptance. It only took him a split second to give in to her request.

Severus pushed Hermione over onto her back as he came up over her and claimed her lips fully with his own. He groaned softly as he settled over her.

Hermione gave into him entirely as she ran both of her hands through his hair down to his back. She knew it was probably a bad idea to give into him at this time in her life; but she wanted to be with him so badly. She wanted to feel complete and whole again, and she knew Severus would be able to bring her back to life.

Hermione moaned in Severus's mouth as he continued to kiss her with a slow pent up passion. He owned her and took control of all of her movements with expertise. One of his hands came up to the font of her body and roamed over the expanse of her clothed stomach. He pushed his hand up further to find her breast and massage her through the clothes.

Hermione broke their kiss as she gasped with surprise. He quickly moved his attentions to her neck as he found the buttons at the top of her blouse. Hermione opened her eyes slightly to see Severus fully clothed, including his black robes. She immediately pulled both of her hands around to his neck and began to tug at the buttons and clasp holding his robes on.

Severus chuckled at her desperate pull at his clothing and moved up slightly to help her remove the heavy cloak. He threw it to the ground and sat up to finish unbuttoning her blouse. He pulled the shirt from her skirt and pushed it back towards the bed. Hermione sat up on her elbows to help him remove it the rest of the way and discard it on the floor with his robes.

Severus grabbed her gently on both sides of her face and made her look at him in the eye. "Are you sure you want this?" Hermione couldn't make any words form, so she simply nodded her head yes and pulled him into a strong kiss. She ran her tongue along his lips as she pulled his body back down on top of hers on the bed.

Severus allowed her entrance into his mouth and moaned a barely audible "Hermione" as he began to kiss her with a fierce passion. He wanted to own her completely, and knew he could easily lose himself in her. Hermione worked the buttons to his shirt as she pulled it apart to reveal his firm chest underneath. She pressed her hand into the opening and found the sinewy muscles of his chest. She ripped the shirt open, popping a couple of the remaining buttons off of his shirt and sending them flying across the room.

Severus pulled free of her kiss in shock to her aggressive behavior and looked her lust filled eyes with approval. He growled as he descended onto her again and pulled the cups of her bra down to reveal her breasts to him. He licked his lips as he moved down to lavish them with attention from his mouth. Hermione gasped and gripped her hands into his hair tightly as her body rocked with her panting breathes.

"Oh Severus," Hermione breathlessly moaned his name. She felt him take her nipple in his mouth and bite slightly around it. The sensation made her buck her hips. She was becoming highly aroused by his ministrations and was sure she would go over the edge soon.

Severus could feel her body start to tense up with desire. He pulled away from her a little and found the clasp on her skirt. He undid it and pulled her skirt down the bed as he trailed kisses down her body. When he reached the bottom of the bed he looked up to catch her eyes. She was breathing hard and watching him with pure desire.

Severus kept eye contact with her as he leaned down and began to kiss a trail up her legs. He used his hands to explore the territory open to his eyes. He was in Heaven as he took pleasure in her soft skin. When he reached the top of her legs, he moved his head towards her inner thighs and gave her small, sweet kisses. His hands reached up slightly to travel around the expanse of her lower abdomen and play with the top of her lace trimmed knickers.

Hermione started moving her hips in a slow rhythm brought on by her own arousal. Severus pulled her knickers down and looked upon her beauty. He licked up her inner thigh and came close to where she was aching to be touched.

Hermione grunted in frustration, "Severus, Please!" she begged.

Severus looked up to her. "Please, what Hermione? Ask me anything and I will give you whatever you want."

Hermione's thoughts raced. She didn't know how to form the words. Her inexperience spoke volumes to her as she remembered how long it had been since she had been with any man.

"Talk to me Hermione. Tell me what you want." Severus pleaded with her. He was still waiting for her full acceptance and fearful she would run. "I want this Hermione. I want to wake up with you in my arms each day. I want to work late into the day with you as we do research together and make love to you at night." He looked down to her body and used his tongue to delve into her core and taste of her arousal.

Hermione whimpered at his sudden attack on her.

"What do you want Hermione?"

"I…I want you, Severus."

Severus looked up at her eyes and saw the truth to her words. "Then you shall have me." And with that he turned his attention to pleasing her.

Hermione gasped with utter stimulation. She had never experienced this before with a man. His tongue was doing things to her that she never thought possible. Her hips rocked uncontrollably. Severus grabbed her hips and held her down on the bed as he continued his assault.

He moved one hand down to her core to insert a finger into her tight heat. He heard her approval as he focused his attentions on her clit.

Hermione's head flew back as the sensations began to take over her whole body. She tensed up and shuddered as her orgasm shook through her. "Severus!!"

Severus smirked at her pure reaction. He saw the full approval of him in her life and was sure he would be changing his entire life for her. How this little know-it-all had managed to rule over his heart, he will never know.

He sat up and moved up the bed to lie upon her. He kissed her mouth in a teasing way. Hermione could taste her own juices on his lips, and it excited her. She moved her hands down his chest to find the buttons to his trousers.

She unbuttoned them quickly and began to push them down over his hips. Severus sat up a little to help her. She watched as his erection came into her view. She was mesmerized by it and wanted to touch it.

She tentatively reached out and wrapped her hand over it with uncertainty. Severus gasped at her actions. He took hold of her hand with his own and showed her how much pressure to use. He guided her hand up and down his length as he panted with sheer want.

"Oh, Hermione…I need to be in you." Severus moved over her body and positioned himself at her entrance. Hermione moved her hands to his shoulders and looked up with slight trepidation as he slowly entered her body.

Once he had pressed himself into her fully, she let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She stayed there in place for a few seconds as she got comfortable with his size. She was surprised at the little amount of discomfort, after expecting it to hurt.

Severus watched her eyes to gage her comfort, and slowly started to rock in and out of her body with small strokes. He clenched his jaw as he held himself under control and stopped himself from taking her hard.

Hermione began to moan and gasp with each little thrust in her as she found a rhythm that felt amazing. She wrapped her legs around his hips and locked her ankles over his back.

Severus began to thrust harder into her and rocked harder with each thrust. He was panting hard above her body. He moved down and sought out her lips. With a breathless kiss he pound into her. He heard sounds coming from Hermione as she rocked her hips in circles to find her own pleasure.

"Harder, Severus!"

"Oh…yes, my Hermione." Severus drove into her with hard thrusts that shook her body completely.

"Yes, that's it….right there." Hermione screamed as he found her g-spot and repeatedly hit it within her womb. She clenched her thighs around his body as her nails began to run down his back.

"Ugghhh!! Oh, Merlin, Hermione!" Severus started to lose control as his thrusts became erratic. "Oh, yes, your so good!"

Hermione felt her inner walls tighten as an intense and overwhelming orgasm shook through her whole body. She screamed his name as she rode out the waves. Severus felt her orgasm take over, and lost control of his own orgasm. He grunted as his release took hold of him.

Severus fell on top of her and tried to get his breathing under control. Hermione wrapped her arms around him tightly and luxuriated in the feel of his body pressing on her. It felt good and secure to have the weight of someone on top of her.

Severus moved a little to pull the majority of his weight off of her and looked up to her eyes. "I love you, Hermione. I don't know how it happened…but I can't imagine going on in this life without you."

Hermione's eyes began to fill with tears as she pulled him down for a slow and sensual kiss. She felt complete with him in her life. She never knew that she would feel this way about another person…and was shocked how different it was from her feelings for Remus.

Severus moved off of her and pulled her into his arms as he spooned behind her. He began to kiss the back of her neck lazily as he moved her hair out of his pursuit.

Hermione giggled softly as she thought about all that happened in one day. "So…how do you feel about toddlers in your quarters, Severus?"

--

A/N: I think there will only be one more chapter and an epilogue. But, you never know…I started this out with the intention of it being a short little PWP. You see how well that turned out. Thanks for your patience. Please review…it inspires me to write.


	8. Changing Lives

**Unexpected Results**

Chapter 8: Changing Lives

Severus was sitting in front of his fireplace watching the flames fight each other for superiority as he swirled a small glass of firewhiskey in his hand. It had been two weeks since he had taken Hermione to see Remus's pensieve. That day had stunned him completely and changed his outlook on life. He spent the next two weeks helping Hermione get everything ready for the guardianship of Teddy when he wasn't working at Hogwarts.

The teachers started to notice his absences during the second week as he would leave the campus as soon as all of his scheduled duties were done. He spent his time helping Hermione pack up Remus's stuff and sift through the items that should be kept, put in storage or donated. She kept all of Teddy's things and made room in her study to put his things. She moved her books to the walls of her living room and shrunk her desk to put it away for the time. She was hoping to sell Remus's house and buy someplace bigger in the near future.

Severus enjoyed his evenings with Hermione. They spent most of their time working, but would always wind down in time for a late dinner. As the furniture was moved out they slowly found themselves with nowhere to sit and eat.

The last night they ended up having to sit on the floor in front of the fireplace to eat. Hermione had pulled a few pillows out of the bags of stuff they packed and piled them around to make a nice area for their makeshift picnic. Severus found himself mesmerized by her as she sat there eating and looking around the sparse room.

"I can't believe this is all that is left of his life." Hermione looked nostalgic as she took in her surroundings.

"Teddy will always live on as a part of him. And then there is your love for him…that will never die."

Hermione looked at Severus with a surprised look in her eyes. "Since when are you a romantic, Severus?" She smiled coyly at him as she picked up a chip from their little pile.

"I just know what it's like to lose someone you love." Severus held her eyes as the flames from the fireplace lit up her profile. "And you never forget that."

"I did love him."

"I know." Severus moved closer to Hermione and wrapped one arm around her waist to pull her next to him. He turned to face Hermione and look into her eyes. "I hope to one day gain that kind of love from you."

"Severus, what I feel for you is completely different than what I felt for Remus." Hermione looked at the collection of food before them. "Remus and I found comfort in each other after the loss of our loved ones, after the final battle; in the same way I found comfort with you after his death. But the difference is I found a lifelong friend in Remus; and with you it's…well, it's just different."

Severus watched her as she fidgeted with the corner of a pillow. He smiled as he thought about how he was slowly starting to learn all of her little quirks and idiosyncrasies; like picking at the edge of fabric objects when she's nervous about something she's revealing.

"Is that a good thing?" Severus asked.

Hermione turned to look at him again and smiled brightly, "It's a great thing." She leaned in and gave him a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer to her as she tried to deepen the kiss.

Severus gently kissed her lips as he pulled himself from her embrace. He held her eyes with his own, with his hands holding her a few inches from his body. After a minute he finally took a deep breath and released his hold on her. He turned forward to the food and leaned over to grab half of one of the sandwiches. He took a bite before he began to talk again.

"Hermione, I know we have been getting everything packed up and arranged neatly in your little flat; but how would you feel about moving to Hogwarts?" Severus never looked at her as he took another bite of his sandwich and watched the fire.

Hermione watched him with a question on her face. "What are you saying, Severus?"

"I have a position open at Hogwarts for a Transfiguration Assistant. Minerva has announced that this will be her last year at Hogwarts…she wants to retire. And I need to hire in a Transfiguration Assistant to learn from her during the remainder of the year and take over her Professorship once she leaves." Severus finished off the last of the sandwich he had taken. "Would you be interested?"

Hermione didn't know what to say. It was so sudden and unexpected. "I never thought about working at Hogwarts. I always thought I would take over Mistress Drake's shop and continue working on my research."

Severus finally looked at her. "You can do your research at Hogwarts. It is because of your apprenticeship with Mistress Drake that I am offering you the position. She is a well renowned Transfiguration Master, and Minerva assures me she has taught you well." Severus lifted his hand to run back of his fingers gently over her cheek. "Besides, it would be fortuitous to have my research partner in such a convenient proximity."

Hermione smiled as she started to fall for his proposal with puppy dog obedience, until it all came crumbling down with one realization. "What about Teddy? I pick him up from the Weasley's in a couple of days when all of the paperwork has been approved. Surely, an Assistant's quarters are not big enough for a family."

"Do not worry about that. I will make sure your quarters are big enough for the two of you." Hermione looked at Severus unconvinced. "Hermione, you are the best out there; and I want the best. So, in order to get that, I am willing to make exceptions."

"Are you sure you want me there?"

"Yes"

"Then I accept." Hermione giggled a little, "I guess you have to help me move all of my things again."

"You sure do come with a lot of baggage Ms. Granger." Severus teased her in a sarcastic tone as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her sweetly. "I do hope you're worth it."

--

A week later Hermione and Teddy were settled into her new quarters. Severus had taken it upon himself to find some rooms near the Gryfindor Tower that also had easy access to the dungeons. He wanted to be able to find her without difficulty if he needed her for some research advice.

Their rooms consisted of a small kitchen with a table that could seat four, a living room with a small stone fireplace and bookshelves lining every available wall space, a full bathroom just off of the living room, and two rooms for Hermione and Teddy. Hermione's room had a large four poster bed in it with Gryfindor colors throughout. On one side there was a huge mahogany desk sitting there with a small bookcase standing behind it. She guessed this was for her overnight research sessions. The space on the little bookshelf was only large enough to hold a few essential books.

Teddy's room had a twin size bed in it with removable wooden guard rails. It was perfect for his age…he could feel like a big boy; and Hermione still got the comfort of his being safely in his bed. She brought all of his usual blankets, comforters, pillows, stuffed animals and more to decorate his room and help him to feel at home. The first night they stayed there Teddy came into Hermione's room and asked her to come and read him a story.

Hermione obediently laid in his bed with him and started to read him one of his favorite stories about a star Quiditch player. As she looked up at the cold, stone ceiling she grabbed her wand and enchanted a night scene with little sparklers of light, in the shape of Quiditch players, flying around and playing above his head. It looked like shooting stars. Teddy clapped at her trick, so she left it there for him.

Today was the first day she started her work under Minerva. She took Teddy to the preschool program over at the Ministry building. She decided to keep him there so he would have something consistent to his life with Remus. When Teddy saw all of his friends that he was used to he quickly bounded in the room and forgot about Hermione waving good-bye.

Once Hermione was back on Hogwarts grounds she went up to the Headmaster's office to report for her first day. She was supposed to have a meeting with Severus and Minerva to go over all of her duties and hall patrol hours. She got to the top of the steps to Severus's office just in time for the meeting, and knocked.

"Enter."

Hermione opened the door and saw Minerva already standing in front of Severus's desk with a bright smile on her face.

"Ms. Granger, it is so good to have you back on Hogwarts grounds!" Minerva hugged Hermione and doted over her former star pupil.

"Professor McGonagall, It is wonderful to see you again." Hermione smiled at her old professor and took a seat in front of Severus's desk. Minerva found the seat next to her. They both looked forward to Severus expectantly.

"Well, now that the reunion is finished, we can talk about the position." Severus took a seat behind his desk and pulled out a folder with a bunch of papers stacked in it. "I have here the full job description for the Transfiguration Assistant. You will have until the end of this week to read it over in its entirety and sign the final page stating that you have read it and understand its contents." Severus handed her the folder.

He then pulled out a scroll. "Here is the contract for the position. It simply states that you have agreed to work as the Transfiguration Assistant at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the remainder of this school year; with the option to renew your contract at the end of the year as the Transfiguration Professor, upon the approval of both parties. It also states the compensation you will receive, as well as the quarters you were given to use during your employment at Hogwarts." Hermione sat forward in her seat to read over the contents of the scroll. "Once you have finished reading this, please sign at the bottom."

Hermione quickly read through it all and signed her name at the bottom of the page. The scroll rolled itself up and disappeared into the filing cabinets in the far right corner of his office.

"Welcome to Hogwarts Ms. Granger." Severus stood up and leaned over his desk to shake her hand.

Hermione stood up and shook his hand with confidence. She turned to Minerva and shook her hand as well.

"Professor McGonagall will take you now and give you an orientation on the finer details of the position." Severus stepped around his desk and guided them to the door. "I will expect to see you immediately after dinner tonight in my office to go over your hall duties."

"I will have Teddy at that time, is it alright if he comes with me?"

"Yes, Ms. Granger, you may bring him. But he will not be allowed to walk the hallways with you when you are on duty. I suggest you find an older student at Hogwarts that you trust to watch him during those times."

"Thank you." Hermione smiled knowingly to herself as she thought of how different he treated her when he was in his professional mode. She loved the contrast; now that she has seen the other side of him.

Hermione left his office excited to start her new role at Hogwarts. This was a whole new step in her life…something she never thought she would be doing. Everything changed for her in a matter of months.

--

Later that day, Hermione went to go pick up Teddy at the Ministry building. He was excited to see her, and skipped out of the classroom to her. She loved seeing him. He brought such joy to her heart. She swooped him up into her arms and swung him around as he laughed.

"Let's go home." Hermione walked out the front door of the Ministry and apparated them back to the Hogwarts school grounds.

"This is not home Aunt Mione." Teddy looked up at her from his spot next to her as they walked to the castle.

"Of course this is home, Teddy. Don't you remember when we moved her? Remember the Quiditch players above your bed?"

Teddy shook his head wildly and stopped walking on the trail. "I want to go to my real home, with Daddy."

Hermione's face fell as she realized that he didn't understand what happened to his father. She got on her knees in front of him and looked him in the eye. "Teddy, didn't Uncle Arthur and Aunt Molly tell you that your daddy is gone?"

"Yes, but I'm ready for him to come back now. I miss home." Teddy looked at her like it was a perfectly logical request; and to a 3-year old, it was.

"Oh, honey, your daddy cannot come back from where he went. He is gone forever." Hermione looked at Teddy with sympathetic eyes trying to see if he was grasping it.

"Why can't he come back?"

"Teddy, do you know what it means to die?"

Teddy nodded his head 'yes'.

"Well, that's what happened to your daddy."

Teddy's little eyes became glassy and twinkled in the dusk of the day as the tears began to form.

"But I want you to know that he loves you so much, and he wishes he could be here with you." She pulled him close to her and hugged him tightly as he held onto her in a desperate grip. "And guess what?" Teddy pulled his head up off her shoulder and looked at her with the questions written on his face. "Your daddy knew that I loved you so much, that I could never live without you…so he gave you to me to live with. That way I can love you and tell you about your mommy and daddy all the time. How does that sound?"

Teddy looked at Hermione a little and then moved his eyes up to take in the castle that was behind her. "Are we going to live there?"

"Yes, we are."

"Will you fly with me?"

Hermione laughed at his vital request and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Teddy, I am not a good flyer." She pulled him out of the hug and held him front of her. "But I tell you what; I will find someone that is a great flyer to take you out all the time. Okay?"

Teddy thought about it for a second before he agreed and hugged Hermione one more time. Hermione picked him up and carried him on her hip the rest of the way to Hogwarts.

--

Later that night Severus sat in his office waiting for Hermione to come see him for their meeting. He heard a little knock on his office door.

"Enter."

The door opened to the sight of Hermione with Teddy holding her hand. They walked in together as Teddy nervously looked around at all the unusual sights in the office.

When they reached the desk, Teddy looked up at Severus and quickly turned around to grasp Hermione's legs in a tight hug and hide his face in her body.

"It's good to know that I can still strike fear into the hearts of children with my mere presence." Severus smirked at the frightened child clinging to Hermione.

"Be nice Severus." Hermione chastised him as she rubbed Teddy head and tried to soothe him away from her legs. "Teddy, this is Headmaster Severus Snape. He is my boss and friend…he's a really nice guy." She talked in a sweet tone to try and coax him from his position.

Teddy moved his head slightly to take a closer look at Severus.

"Hello, Theodore." Severus greeted the boy in the same tone that he would any other student in the school.

Teddy made a face of disapproval before he ventured to ask a question. "Did you know my daddy?"

"I did." Severus nodded his head at the child. "We were in school together."

Teddy let go of Hermione a little to turn a little further towards Severus. "Daddy always talked about his friends in school."

"Well, I wasn't his friend in school…but we became good allies later in life."

Teddy looked at Hermione confused.

"They worked together on stuff." Hermione explained what Severus was saying to the boy.

Teddy looked back to Severus. "Do you know how to play Quiditch?"

"Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, I referee the Quiditch matches here at Hogwarts on occasion."

Teddy brightened up a little and loosened up his hold on Hermione enough to turn towards Severus completely. "Can you fly with me, and teach me how to play?"

Severus eyed the little boy that reminded him so much of Remus. The last thing he wanted to do was give up some of his valuable time to teach this toddler how to fly. But he knew it would mean a lot to Hermione. "I believe that could be arranged. Do you like flying…Teddy?" Severus reluctantly used his nickname to try and gain the child's trust.

"Yes, it's so much fun." Teddy let go of Hermione completely and went to the edge of the desk to look over it up at Severus. "My daddy used to take me all the time."

"That's good. You should make a fine Quiditch player one day." Severus looked at the boy with a scrutinizing eye. He had Remus's mannerisms. "You have your father's eyes, Teddy."

Teddy beamed at Severus's words and turned around in an excited manner to run to Hermione's lap. He crawled up in her lap and settled down in a content manner.

"I like him Aunt Mione."

Hermione looked up and caught Severus's eye with a smile on her face. "I like him too, Teddy."

Severus smiled back at her for a second before shaking himself back into his professional mode. "Yes, well, I need to go over the hall duties you will have during your tenure here at Hogwarts, Ms. Granger."

Hermione smiled at his professor tone and held Teddy close as he started to snuggle into her and close his eyes while Severus talked.

--

Things went very smooth for Hermione and Teddy the first couple of months at Hogwarts. She had quickly taken to the students at the school and became a favorite amongst them. She became fast friends with a 7th year student named Stacey Bloomsworth. Stacey was a Gryfindor, and agreed to watch Teddy anytime Hermione had to work on grading, hall duties, or experimenting with Severus.

She continued her research on the Wolfsbane project with Severus on certain evenings when neither of them had other duties. The dynamic between them was amazing. They worked together with ease and debated with passion. On some nights they would get in an argument about the meaning of the results of one of their experiments, and would conclude the argument up against the wall of his lab, or on the floor of his study. At times Hermione began to wonder if he would start these fights just to get her all worked up. She had a suspicion that he enjoyed watching her fume.

But there were also times when he was sweet and tender. She never quite knew how to process these times completely. She kept thinking he would turn on her suddenly and laugh at her for believing that he loved her. She thought of one night in particular. They decided to forego the usual research and experiments and just spend the night enjoying each other's company. It was the first time for them to do something like this.

Severus had the house elves bring up some dinner and wine for them. They sat and talked most of the evening. When Hermione got up to get her robes and leave, Severus came up behind her and gently pulled her hair aside to reveal her neck to him. He kissed her with feather light kisses. "Stay with me Hermione. Stay the night."

She knew it wasn't a good idea. Stacey was with Teddy, and she would know what happened if she didn't come back until the morning. "I can't…Teddy."

Severus turned her around in his arms and kissed her passionately. "I need you to stay with me Hermione. I want to wake up with you beside me in my bed." He kissed her again as she molded herself to him.

Hermione tried to resist, but knew she would lose the battle. "Okay…but just for tonight. I can't leave Teddy like this all the time."

Severus summoned a house elf with a flick of his wand. When one of them appeared in his room, he released Hermione's lips long enough to address the elf. "Tell Ms. Bloomsworth that Ms. Granger will be working all night with me in my labs; to please put Teddy to bed and use Ms. Granger's bed for the night. Ms. Granger will come get Teddy in the morning to take him to preschool."

The elf popped out of his rooms to go and deliver the message.

"She's going to know what's really going on here Severus. There will be gossip."

Severus pulled her closer to him as he continued to kiss her lips and guide her to his bedroom. "Let them talk. Maybe they will think their mean bat of a Headmaster will be nicer after he gets a good shag."

Hermione laughed at his attempt at humor. "Severus, this could get sticky."

"I like sticky."

That night he made love to her. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. He worshipped her body and brought her to new heights in satisfaction. Afterwards, Hermione lay on her stomach with her head facing away from him as he drew lazily on her back with his fingers.

Hermione felt so content and safe in that moment. It felt right and complete. She wished she could stay there forever in that moment.

But now as the time passed, she wondered what the next step was in their relationship. She knew he loved her. He had told her on many occasions…but he never talked about wanting anything more than what he already had.

She only had a couple of months left in this school year (since she had started so late in the year), before she took the summer off and came back as a full-fledged professor.

Unfortunately, the rumors started to fly all over the school. Students were always watching the interactions between Hermione and the Headmaster. They all wanted to know what was going on. The Slytherins had a running joke that when the Headmaster got this one particular stoic look on his face, they thought Ms. Granger was giving him a hand job. Every time they were in the Great Hall for a meal, if Severus unconsciously gave that look, the whole Slytherin table would burst into hysterics. It was getting out of hand. Her reputation was at stake; not to mention Severus's good name as the Headmaster of the school.

--

One sunny afternoon, towards the end of April, Hermione received a letter from Jasper, Severus's raven.

_Ms. Granger,_

_Your charge, Theodore Lupin-Granger, has been found engaging in unacceptable practices while on the grounds of Hogwarts. I have taken it upon myself to rectify the situation. _

_Please report to me, by the old Quiditch Pitch, at 5:30 p.m. to receive your charge back into your custody. At said time, you will be given the task to make suitable arrangements to keep him under control in the future._

_Sincerely,_

_Headmaster S. Snape_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

This news shocked Hermione. How could Teddy get in trouble? He was always a good boy. She looked up at the clock to see that she only had fifteen minutes before the scheduled meeting with Severus by the Quiditch Pitch. She grabbed her robes and headed out of her office to find Stacey.

Once she entered the Gryfindor common room she saw Stacey sitting in front of the fireplace with a group of 7th years. "Stacey, I need to speak with you."

Stacey looked up before she excused herself from her group of friends and quickly came over to Hermione. "What can I do for you?"

"I was under the impression that you were watching Teddy right now. I just received a letter from the Headmaster stating that Teddy was found participating in _unacceptable activities_…whatever that means. So how did he manage to get in so much trouble?"

Stacey looked confused, "I don't know what you're talking about. I released Teddy into the Headmaster's care over an hour ago. He said he was taking Teddy for his flying lesson on the old Quiditch field." Hermione scrunched her forehead, wondering what was going on. "I assumed it would be okay…especially with your close working relationship with the Headmaster. Was that wrong?"

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I just don't know how Teddy could get in enough trouble to warrant this kind of response from the Headmaster?" Hermione looked at the parchment again to read the note again. "Sorry to have bothered you, Stacey. I will figure this out."

Hermione absentmindedly walked out of the Gryfindor common room without saying good-bye to anyone. She wondered through the halls as she made her way to the old Quiditch field.

As she walked up to the entrance to the field she saw Teddy standing by the Quiditch pitch, jumping up and down, laughing and clapping. She walked the rest of the way into the field to see Severus up on a broom doing loops and other tricks to amuse Teddy.

Hermione went to stand by Teddy, and watched as Severus flipped over in a spiral a couple of times before he twirled around to a stopping point in front of the pitch.

"Yeah!! Do it again!" Teddy jumped up as he watched with sheer joy at Severus.

Severus spotted Hermione standing next to Teddy and quickly made his way over the pitch to land with grace.

"That's enough for today Teddy. You're mother is here to get you." Severus looked over to Hermione to catch her eyes and saw the anger and confusion all written on her face.

"Mione!" Teddy exclaimed in excitement as he turned around to find his new mother standing behind him.

Hermione looked down at the energized boy and smiled. "Are you having fun, Teddy?"

"Yes, Uncle Sever is showing me how to get away from other players."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at Severus, "Uncle Sever?"

"He has a hard time saying Severus, and Sever is what tends to come out."

Hermione laughed a little at the corny name Severus was allowing Teddy to call him. She never thought she would see the day that he allowed anyone to address him so informally.

"I have come to discuss the meaning behind this letter. What has Teddy done to warrant such a severe response?" Hermione held up the letter for Severus to see.

Severus set his broom against a near by bench and sat down to unbuckle his flying boots as he explained the purpose of the letter. "Teddy was found the other night with a broom one of the 1st years gave him in the Astronomy Tower. It seems that Ms. Bloomsworth was too busy flirting with one of the Ravenclaw boys to notice Teddy being lured away by the promise of flying on his own. I was making rounds at that time, and heard him laughing in the Astronomy Tower."

Hermione looked over at Teddy with worry. "Teddy, did you leave Stacey without her knowing?"

Teddy looked down in a guilty gesture and tried to find a bench to hide behind.

"He is not to blame. He is three years old, almost four; and he is not expected to deny the lure of a broom to fly on at his age. I find Ms. Bloomsworth to be more responsible for this complete lack of judgment. But that is not why I have brought you here." Severus removed his final boot and stood up to remove the heavy flying cloak he had around his shoulders. "I wanted to discuss a solution with you concerning Teddy's future care. He must be taken care of in a more strict environment in order to keep his four year old desires under control."

"I don't understand, it says in your letter that you have already 'taken it upon yourself to rectify the situation.' What did you do?"

Severus flung his cloak over the bench and walked over to stand in front of Hermione. He smirked a little as he pulled a small object out of his pocket. "I have found a solution that will rectify the situation." Hermione creased her forehead in confusion.

Severus proceeded to get down on one knee in front of her. Hermione gasped at the sudden turn of events and covered her mouth as she watched him pull the small object in front of him and open a box to reveal a plain platinum band.

"Hermione Jane Granger, will you do me the honor of binding your life to mine?"

Hermione's eyes started to tear up at this act that was so out of character for Severus. "Are you really ready for me to come into your life? With all of my messes? Not to mention Teddy?"

"Hermione, the night we spent together was the best moment in my life. It made me realize that I want to wake up with you next to me every morning. You have wormed your way into my heart; despite all of my objections to the relationship. I want all of you, the mess, the kids, the uncertainty, the research, the passion…I want it all.

"I am no prize Hermione. I have so many things in my past that should warrant me being miserable and alone for the rest of my life. But you have changed me…and for once, I don't want to push it away. Please, say you will have me." Severus's intense gaze told her the truth of all his words. She knew he would do whatever it took to make her and Teddy happy.

"Yes…Yes, I will." Hermione smiled at her own confession, as Severus stood and hugged her to him tightly.

"I love you, Hermione." Severus whispered into her ear as he kept her in his tight embrace.

"And I love you, Severus."

Severus released her from the hug and pulled the ring from its container. "This is a simple ring, but I wanted to get you something that would not get in the way of your brewing." Hermione held out her hand as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"It's perfect, Severus." Hermione looked up into his eyes and smiled with the realization that she was going to be bound to this man for the rest of her life; and her heart filled with joy. "I never dreamed this would ever happen when I came to see you about helping me with my project."

"These are truly unexpected results." Severus smiled at her with affection before he leaned down to give her a simple and sweet kiss.

--

A/N: There will only be an epilogue after this chapter. I hope you have all enjoyed the journey this story took. I want to thank everyone for their reviews and kind words. You stuck with me through my curve balls and gave me inspiration to continue. Thank you!!


	9. Epilogue

**Unexpected Results**

Epilogue

"I'm going to tell!!"

Hermione heard the familiar whining voice of her youngest ring through the living room. She was sitting at the kitchen table preparing a fresh crop of sunflowers she harvested earlier that day.

"Mommy, tell him to leave me alone! He keeps taking my ribbons!" Madeleine pouted as she pointed at her brother with an accusing look.

"Remus, are you bothering your sister?" Hermione continued to work on her ingredients without even looking up to assess the situation.

"She started it! I was just minding my own business, when she came over and stomped all over my plants." Remus looked at his younger sister with anger and fumed.

Hermione knew that Remus was quickly starting to show signs of taking after his father. Remus Sebastian Snape, was the middle child in their little merged family. He was born only a year and a half after their binding ceremony. Now at the age of six, he showed interest in revenge and the dark arts. Hermione has already had a couple of talks with Severus about teaching him the right and wrong way to learn about those subjects and how to deal with his anger.

"Madeleine, did you ruin Remus's plants?" Hermione watched as Madeleine looked down to the ground as she tried to think of an excuse for her actions. "Madeleine, you know that Remus has been working on those plants for a long time to grow the ingredients for his potions. If you hurt them, you are taking away from his lessons with Daddy. I am very disappointed in you. I want you to go to your room and think about what you've done. Tonight, if you are ready to apologize to Remus and Daddy for your actions, you may come out."

Madeleine huffed in annoyance that she didn't get her way. She stuck out her tongue and stomped her way to her room. Madeleine Elizabeth Snape was the spitting image of Hermione and had her intelligence as well. At the age of four she was already showing signs of controlling her magic and is able to understand the basics of potions when she watches her parents brew. At times she would shock both Hermione and Severus with her insightful questions.

Hermione turned back to Remus to address him about his teasing of Madeleine. "Remus, you shouldn't tease your little sister like that. I know she hurt your plants, and it made you mad; but I want you to try and forgive her and come to me instead of trying to get back at her on your own." Hermione watched Remus closely to see if he was taking what she was telling him to heart.

"Okay…I'll try." Remus reluctantly gave in to her request. He then ran to the door to go outside and check on his plants again.

After seven years of marriage, Hermione and Severus were always busy with their three kids, working at Hogwarts, and keeping up with the demand for Wolfsbane. They perfected the transfiguration and spell-work needed to brew a perfect Wolfsbane without any human interaction. They would simply set out all of the ingredients and supplies in a secure section of the lab and put the whole process in motion. In about three weeks the result was a cauldron of perfect Wolfsbane.

They patented the process and tried to market it to other potions masters and transfiguration specialists so they could have Wolfsbane on hand easily. But, what they didn't expect is for everyone to ask Mr. and Mrs. Snape to provide them with the Wolfsbane, and not the process. They just wanted the final product, without the fuss. So, these days they brewed over 400 regular orders of Wolfsbane on a monthly basis. It has become a profitable side business for them over the years.

Hermione finished up the last of the sunflower preparation just as Severus came through the door.

"You have been busy my love." Severus walked over to Hermione at the table and leaned over to kiss her lips quickly. "Were you able to harvest enough of the sunflowers for this month's supply?"

Hermione stood up from the table and flicked her wand to send all of the newly prepared ingredients to the locked storage cabinet they had for the brewing supplies. "We calculated the need perfectly. We should be able to keep up with the demand if we continue to plant the same amount of flowers."

Severus went over to the storage cabinet as it closed and locked itself in front of him. He looked through the glass to count the jars of pure powdered sunflower that Hermione just finished preparing. "It was genius of you to think of setting up that climate controlled greenhouse on the side of the school. Being able to plant and harvest our own sunflower will cut down on our production costs considerably."

"Well, I didn't graduate top of my class for nothing." Hermione smiled at Severus with an invitation in her expression.

"You always were sure of yourself." Severus swooped over to Hermione by the kitchen table and trapped her against the table with his body. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close for a heated kiss.

"Severus…the kids." Hermione warned him about the presence of all three of his kids in the house at that time.

"Oh, Hermione…let's take this somewhere more private." He moved his attentions to her neckline and used his tongue to tease her with tiny circular motions that he knew drove her wild.

"We can't, dinner will be soon." Hermione moaned as she felt Severus move his hand slowly down her back to her lower regions. "I haven't even started preparing anything. Not to mention all of the preparations that we have to finish for the start of the new school term."

Severus calmed down in his attentions and moved back up to her lips to gently show his affection. "Tonight. You are not getting out of this that easily."

Hermione laughed as he let her go and went over to his desk to check on the list of arriving first years.

"After over seven years of marriage I am amazed at how insatiable you still are. I would think that you would become tired or bored with me after awhile." Hermione talked as she went over to the cabinets in the kitchen to pull out some ingredients for their dinner.

"I can never tire of you my dear. My blood begins to boil every time I see you. You are my muse and my constant desire." Severus smirked as he continued to look over the paperwork he had for the new school year. "You will just have to suffer my insatiable lust for you until the end of our days."

"Then I shall gladly take up my cross of suffering and own it with pride." Hermione laughed.

Severus picked up all of his papers and moved them to his satchel. He wanted to be prepared for the next day. "Are you prepared for this school year my dear?" Severus asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be. The students are always the same. It will just be different this year because one of our own will be in the class."

"Yes, that reminds me, where is Teddy?" Severus looked around the living area to see only the signs of some dirty footprints running through the room. From the size of them, he was sure they belonged to Madeleine.

"He's in his room packing. He's so excited to be moving to the dorms. He has been going over everything he needs and all of his school supplies all day." Severus and Hermione had decided that in order for Teddy to have the best experience at Hogwarts, he needed to be immersed in the student life. So they are letting him move out of their expansive quarters in the dungeons, to the dormitories of the house he is sorted in to.

"I still say he will be a Slytherin. He has cunning and he is one hell of a Quiditch player. Slytherin could definitely use a seeker like him on the team." Severus walked over the kitchen to watch his wife prepare the family dinner. He always loved watching her work; whether it be research, brewing, cooking, gardening, or just reading. She was always so beautiful to him when she was concentrating on something.

"He's a natural born Gryfindor. Remember he was sired by a Gryfindor…besides Gryfindor could always use a good seeker as well." Hermione never stopped chopping her vegetables for dinner as she talked to her husband. She could feel his gaze on her backside, and it amused her that he still watched her all the time.

"Care to make a bet on that, my dear?" Severus left his post in the doorway to stand beside her next to the counter. He used the hand closest to her to run his hand up her side as he lightly massaged her.

"What do you have in mind?" Hermione ignored his distractions and continued to work on her task.

Severus nosed his way closer to his bride as he inhaled the unique scent of her. "If he's sorted into Slytherin you have to wear that little leather number in the window of _Rosie's Randy Reed_ for me."

"And if he's a Gryfindor?" Hermione paused in her chopping to lean her head back and enjoy the closeness of her husband.

"Well, you tell me. What do you want?"

Hermione put down her knife and turned around to face him completely. She thought about her options for a while before she pulled him close to her body to whisper in his ear. "I want you to take me on a romantic vacation; with no children. And on that vacation you will have to do anything I ask of you."

"Deal." Severus smiled at her with a knowing look. "Although it is not much of a bet for me…either way I win."

"We'll see if you're singing the same tune when you're naked, bound to a wall, and completely at my mercy." Hermione then turned back around to her vegetables and picked up her knife to finish her chopping.

"Why you little vixen. You're such a tease…I like it!" Hermione let out a loud laugh and squeal as Severus pulled her backside firmly against him and leaned down to kiss and lick at the nape of her neck.

"Mother, what are we having for dinner?" Teddy came out of his room and called out to his mom as he made his way to the kitchen. Just as he rounded the corner to enter into the doorway of the kitchen he saw his mom and dad jump apart like two randy teenagers caught making out in the halls. "Ugghh! You two are disgusting. Don't you ever stop?"

Severus laughed at his son's reaction. "I can't help it Teddy…I still love her as much today as I did the first time I fell in love with her."

"Yeah, but at your age, it's just gross." Teddy walked over to the kitchen table and took a seat.

"I hope that when you are my age, Teddy, you still have as much love for your wife as I do for your Mother." Severus left Hermione's side to sit across the table from his adopted Son.

"So are you all ready for school tomorrow?" Severus was excited to have Teddy enter the gates of Hogwarts as a full time student for the first time.

"Yes. I can't wait for tomorrow! Ravenclaw, here I come."

Hermione turned around and looked at her Son with shock. "Teddy, what makes you think you will be sorted into Ravenclaw?"

"I have scored the highest possible marks in all of my schooling to date. It only makes sense that I would be sorted into the house that is known for its intelligence."

"Do not be so sure, Son. I believe the Slytherin House is in your future."

"No, he's a Gryfindor if I have ever seen one." Hermione interjected her opinion in the conversation.

Teddy sighed at the usual house politics that raged in their house. "When will the two of you give up your house loyalties and just get along?"

Both Hermione and Severus looked at each other and said at the same time, "Never."

"It will be good to get away from all of this and be in a room where I don't have to deal with Remus and Madeleine when I am studying."

Severus smirked at his Son as he thought about how things were going to change significantly in the house. "But don't forget…as you lose us as your constant family, you are gaining your Mother and I as your new Headmaster and Professor."

"I guess I will never escape it all."

--

The next evening the sorting feast was about to begin. Hermione stood outside the Great Hall with the first years, ready to enter. As soon as she heard her queue from Severus she led them all in a single file line to the front of the Great Hall.

The Sorting ceremony went fairly quickly. Up until it came to Teddy's turn to sit under the sorting hat.

"Theodore Lupin-Snape" Hermione called out his name without any change in her voice to acknowledge that he was her Son.

Teddy ran up to the stool and took a seat with pride. He was certain of his actions…he had seen this ceremony for many years as a spectator, and was excited to be a part of it all.

Hermione sat the sorting hat on Teddy and waited anxiously to hear the decision. She looked over to Severus and caught his eye. Severus winked knowingly as they both waited to hear who would win their little bet.

"Gryfindor!" The hat shouted with glee at the decision. Teddy looked a little confused at the decision, but happily ran to his house table to join his new life-long friends.

Hermione smiled as she turned to her husband to see his reaction. He raised one eyebrow at her as she mouthed the words, "You are mine!"

They were going to have one interesting year…and one intoxicating vacation.

THE END

--

A/N: I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read this entire story. I loved all of your reviews and comments. I hoped everyone enjoyed the journey this little story took. I hope to find inspiration for another story soon…and maybe Remus will get to stay around and play longer in the next one.


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